WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time is for examination of claimants of employment support allowance in (a) Wrexham, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.

Chris Grayling: Information on the duration of the assessment phase for claimants of employment and support allowance in the UK is already published and can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis_2011_q4
	Regional and local authority breakdowns of the information are not readily available and have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit and, if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with he code of practice for official statistics.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that employment and support allowance claim forms make clear to claimants that they are able to request a recording of their work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: We currently have no plans to include this information in the ESA50 form.

Employment Schemes

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from the work-related activity group of employment and support allowance have been (a) referred to the Work programme and (b) attached to the Work programme since June 2011.

Chris Grayling: The number of Work programme referrals and attachments from the work-related activity group of employment and support allowance from 1 June 2011 to 31 January 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Customer group Referrals Attachments 
			 ESA work related activity group 47,880 40,120 
		
	
	
		
			 Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Referrals shown are ‘net’ referrals which do not include rejections, cancellations or referrals to ESA information sessions. 3. Attachments: The date of the first engagement activity between the provider and the participant as recorded on the payment administrative system. 4. Customer groups are assigned by Jobcentre Plus, on the basis of a claimant's circumstances, and benefit they receive. A small number of claimants appear in an incorrect group caused by the way information is recorded on the administrative system. More detailed information can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-2.pdf Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS)

Employment Schemes

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from the support group of Employment and Support Allowance have volunteered for employment support and been (a) referred to the Work programme and (b) attached to the Work programme since June 2011.

Chris Grayling: The number of Work programme referrals and attachments from the support group of employment and support allowance from 1 June 2011 to 31 January 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Customer group Referrals Attachments 
			 ESA support group 320 260 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Referrals shown are 'net' referrals which do not include rejections, cancellations or referrals to ESA information sessions. 3. Attachments: The date of the first engagement activity between the provider and the participant as recorded on the payment administrative system. 4. Customer groups are assigned by Jobcentre Plus, on the basis of a claimant's circumstances, and benefit they receive. A small number of claimants appear in an incorrect group caused by the way information is recorded on the administrative system. 5. More detailed information can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-2.pdf 6. ESA support group customers will have volunteered to enter the Work programme. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS)

Housing Benefit

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance payments for the (i) social rented sector and (ii) private sector was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The total cost of (a) housing benefit for 2010-11 split into social sector expenditure and private rented sector expenditure is published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/budget_2012_2205.xls#' Housing_Benefit'!A1
	Figures for 2011-12 will be added in September 2012.
	The total cost of (b) local housing allowance payments in 2010-11 was £6,358 million; this is all private rented sector expenditure. Figures for 2011-12 will be published on 20( )July 2012 in the benefit expenditure outturn tables at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Housing Benefit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to include foster children in the allocation of bedrooms to families that are claiming housing benefit.

Steve Webb: There are no plans to include foster children in the allocation of bedrooms within housing benefit for private or social rented sector properties: We announced during passage of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 an additional £30 million to the Discretionary Housing Payment fund from 2013-14, which includes £5 million aimed specifically at foster carers where they have difficulty meeting any shortfall, in their housing benefit because of the introduction of size criteria into the social rented sector.

Housing Benefit: Monmouthshire

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged under 25 receive housing benefit in (a) Newport and (b) Monmouthshire.

Steve Webb: The requested information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients aged under 25 in the Newport and Monmouthshire localauthorities, March 2012 
			 Local authority Number of recipients 
			 Newport 1,340 
			 Monmouthshire 340 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at the second Thursday of the month. 3. This data incorporates the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008, and March 2012 is the most recent available. 5. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. Age groups are based on the age on the count date (second Thursday in the month), of either: (a) the recipient if they are single, or (b) the elder of the recipient or partner if claiming as a couple. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

National Insurance Contributions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people of working age have 10 qualifying years for contributory benefits out of the last 14 years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Pensioners: Poverty

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners living in poverty in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales, (e) Northern Ireland and (f) South Lanarkshire.

Steve Webb: Estimates of pensioner poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income series. The most commonly used measure of pensioner poverty relates to those people with income below 60% of contemporary median income, After Housing Costs. This is often referred to as relative poverty.
	The smallest geographical breakdown available for the overall numbers in poverty is at Government Office Region level. Therefore, information is not available for (f) South Lanarkshire, but is available for the other parts of the question.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility.
	The information is already published and can be found in Table 6.11ts (on page 238) of the Households Below Average Income series published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php? page=contents
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-046-7)
	Single year figures for the United Kingdom can be found in Table 6.3tr (on page 208).

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the amount of (a) tax credits that housing benefit claimants are eligible for but do not take up and (b) housing benefit that tax credit claimants are eligible for but do not take up; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: No estimate has been made of the amount of tax credits that housing benefit claimants are eligible for but do not take up and housing benefit that tax credit claimants are eligible for but do not take up.
	The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides case load and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 10 June 2010. The figures are available online and can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb
	Estimates of take-up for tax credits are produced by HMRC, the latest estimates cover the period 2009-10 and are available online, they can be found here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessments have been conducted at the Exeter Assessment centre by Atos by (a) home local authority area of the assessed, (b) total number of working-age adults in each such area and (c) proportion of the total number of working-age adults assessed in each such area in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows the number of people assessed for ESA (both initial and repeat assessments) at the Exeter assessment centre between December 2010 and November 2011, the latest 12 month period available, by their home local authority area.
	
		
			 Initial and repeat ESA assessments at Exeter assessment centre between December 2010 and November 2011 by home local authority area 
			 Home local authority area Number of assessments 
			 Torbay 830 
			 Cornwall 20 
			 East Devon 400 
			 Exeter 570 
			 Mid Devon 250 
			 North Devon 10 
			 South Hams 10 
			 Teignbridge 510 
			 West Devon 70 
			 West Dorset 10 
			 Other 90 
			 Total 2,770 
			 Notes: 1. The figures are derived from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Hence totals may not sum exactly. 3. The figures cover initial and repeat ESA assessments. IB reassessment figures are excluded. 4. The ‘other’ figure includes those cases where the home local authority is not known and cases where the claimant is from a local authority with less than 5 cases processed at this centre. 
		
	
	The information for parts (b) and (c) is already published and can be found at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Universal Credit

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether credit unions will retain the ability to recover a delinquent loan before a benefit is paid to a claimant under his proposals for universal credit; and whether a credit union will be able to recover a delinquent loan in the name of a partner of the member of the household who is paid universal credit.

Steve Webb: It is proposed that the current rules which provide a facility for eligible lenders to apply to the Department for Work and Pensions for deductions to be made from a claimant's benefit, to repay an eligible loan, will continue in universal credit.
	Universal credit will be claimed jointly by a couple. Therefore in a joint claim a deduction may be made for arrears of an eligible loan where either member of that couple is responsible for repaying the loan.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) in-work credit, (b) return to work credit, (c) housing benefit run-on and (d) job grants will be factored into the amounts protected under transitional protection on implementation of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: As announced by the Minister with responsibility for disabled people, my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), in her written statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, columns 65-66WS, on in-work credit, return to work credit and job grant will start to be phased out for new benefit claimants from October 2012.
	Transitional protection in universal credit will apply to claimants where there has been no change of circumstances and the Department chooses to transfer a household from legacy benefits to universal credit. We expect this process to commence from autumn 2014. The majority of payments of in-work credit, return to work credit and job grant, should have come to an end before this point.
	Housing benefit run-on will continue to be available for as long as housing benefit remains in payment in the transition to universal credit.
	Further details on the provision of transitional protection in universal credit, including how it will be affected by a receipt of in-work credit, return to work credit, job grant or housing benefit run-on, will be provided in the autumn.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 666-7W, on work capability assessment, how many people waited longer than 13 weeks to undergo the work capability assessment in 2011, by month.

Chris Grayling: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit, and if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the code of practice for official statistics.

Work Capability Assessment

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Atos work capability assessments for employment and support allowance were appealed against in each region in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of those appeals were successful.

Chris Grayling: The Department only holds information on appeals once they have been heard by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. A regional breakdown of the information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit and, if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the code of practice for official statistics.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 2W, on broadband: Kent, whether the £9.87 million allocated to north Kent for the delivery of superfast broadband is for the whole of the county of Kent or only for north Kent.

Edward Vaizey: I can confirm that £9.87 million was allocated to the whole of Kent for the delivery of superfast broadband. It was agreed that this amount would be matched by Kent county council.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will assess the financial effect of harmonising mobile roaming charges on the domestic mobile phone industry;
	(2)  if his Department will assess the feasibility of setting up an all-Ireland tariff for mobile and land line telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: Mobile roaming charges are subject to European regulation and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has no powers in regard to these; therefore, there are no plans to conduct an assessment of the financial effect of harmonising or the feasibility of setting up an all-Ireland tariff for mobile and land line telephone calls. Monitoring and enforcement of the roaming regulations is carried out by national regulatory authorities (in this case Ofcom and ComReg).
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is aware that certain operators have taken measures to reduce the impact on consumers of roaming charges, and particularly charges associated with inadvertent roaming along the Irish border by (for example) introducing an “all Ireland” tariff for consumers south of the border.
	Roaming charges will continue to reduce significantly as the downward glide path of the price caps contained in the new European Roaming III Regulation, (which came into effect on 1 July 2012) bring roaming charges much closer to those incurred when using mobile networks at home. In addition we expect that the new measures on structural solutions contained in the regulation that are designed to encourage increased and sport competition in the mobile roaming market will bring about mobile roaming costs significantly below the price caps contained in the regulation.

Ofcom

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the full-time equivalent headcount of Ofcom was, by department, in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13.

Edward Vaizey: The information requested has been provided by Ofcom and is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 FTE per groups/departments—2009 
			 Groups/departments Permanent staff External staff Total 
			 Content, International and Regulatory 73 1 74 
			 CEO 3 — 3 
			 Competition Policy 125 4 129 
			 Communications and Public Affairs 17 — 17 
			 Legal, International, Nations, Regions and Secretariat 108 — 108 
			 Operations Group 323 25 348 
			 Panel and Boards — 83 83 
		
	
	
		
			 Strategy and Market Developments 109 — 109 
			 Spectrum Policy Group 124 5 129 
			 Technology 6 — 6 
			 Grand total FTE 888 118 1,006 
		
	
	
		
			 FTE per groups/departments—2010 
			 Groups/departments Permanent staff External staff Total 
			 Communications and Public Affairs 19 — 19 
			 Competition Policy 124 3 127 
			 Content, International and Regulatory 87 1 88 
			 Legal, International, Nations, Regions and Secretariat 86 2 88 
			 Operations Group 312 28 340 
			 Panel and Boards — 72 72 
			 Spectrum Policy Group 123 4 127 
			 Strategy and Market Developments 102 4 106 
			 Strategy Chief Economist and Technology 6 4 10 
			 Grand total FTE 859 118 977 
		
	
	
		
			 FTE per groups/departments—2011 
			 Groups/departments Permanent staff External staff Total 
			 Competition Policy 111 3 114 
			 Consumer Group 67 4 71 
			 Content, International and Regulatory 132 1 133 
			 Lawyers 43 — 43 
			 Operations Group 281 45 326 
			 Panel and Boards — 61 61 
			 Spectrum Clearance and Award Programme 2 — 2 
			 Spectrum Policy Group 99 7 106 
			 Strategy Chief Economist and Technology 32 4 36 
			 Grand total FTE 767 125 892 
		
	
	
		
			 FTE per groups/departments—2012 
			 Groups/departments Permanent staff External staff Total 
			 Competition Group 125 3 128 
			 Consumer Group 71 6 77 
			 Content, international and Regulatory 138 5 143 
			 Lawyers 40 — 40 
			 Operations Group 295 56 351 
			 Panel and Boards — 62 62 
			 Spectrum Clearance and Award Programme 14 — 14 
			 Spectrum Policy Group 94 8 102 
			 Strategy Chief Economist and Technology 40 4 44 
			 Grand total FTE 817 144 961

Olympic Games 2012

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many Olympic contracts at Tier 1 level have been awarded to companies in (a) Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, (b) England, by region and (c) foreign countries; and what the value is of the contracts in each category.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has awarded more than £6.9 billion worth of Tier 1 contracts to 1,605 suppliers. 98% of these contracts were awarded to suppliers based in the UK, generating thousands more sub-contracts throughout the supply chain.
	ODA Tier 1 contracts split by region are listed in the following table, as of 3 July 2012.
	
		
			 Region Total contracts (£) Number of suppliers 
			 West Midlands 463,506,357 64 
			 East of England 915,654,643 145 
			 East Midlands 274,667,022 44 
			 London 3,836,279,773 799 
			 Northern Ireland 20,896,676 5 
			 North East 20,001,500 25 
			 North West 117,660,093 64 
			 Scotland 33,067,704 30 
			 South East 1,066,524,980 258 
			 South West 18,268,531 69 
			 Wales 4,555,736 (1)18 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 89,769,652 47 
			 Overseas 57,786,966 37 
			 Total 6,918,639,634 1,605 
			 (1) The figure for Wales is boosted due to several large contracts with Government Departments who have carried out work on the ODA’s behalf, and who process payments through service centres in Wales. ODA data reflect the address to which remittances are paid. 
		
	
	The valuable contribution Welsh companies have made to the games can be seen through contracts such as that awarded for the external cladding of the Olympic stadium and the building of the aquatics centre roof. In addition, the Royal Mint will produce around 4,700 victory medals at their headquarters in Llantrisant. It is estimated that around £38 million worth of games-related contracts have been won by businesses based in Wales.

Olympic Games 2012: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many athletes from (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent have been selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: The responsibility for the selection of athletes for the London 2012 Olympic games, that comprise Team GB, rests with the British Olympic Association (BOA), which is independent of Government.
	Team GB in London 2012 will consist of 542 athletes, of which 435 are receiving public funding support from UK Sport, the Department’s strategic lead body for performance sport in the UK. Of the 435 publicly funded athletes, UK Sport has advised that seven athletes currently reside in Kent, four of which are in the Dartford constituency.

Sports: VAT

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the introduction of VAT on income from the hire of all-weather sports facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: No specific discussions have taken place between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the introduction of VAT on income from the hire of all-weather sports facilities. However, I have written to my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury about the VAT treatment of commercially operated sports leagues, which would include the operation of all-weather sports facilities.

Sports: VAT

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effects on his Department's targets for sports participation of the introduction of VAT on hire charges for all-weather sports facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Department, nor Sport England, have made a specific assessment of the potential effects on levels of participation in sport by the introduction of VAT on hire charges for all-weather sports facilities. However, we do record participation levels in sport via the Taking Part Survey and Active People Survey. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.dcms.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/4828.aspx
	and
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_ survey.aspx

Sports: VAT

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on which public bodies have contributed funding to the installation of the all-weather sports facilities that will be required to pay VAT on income from lettings; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England invest in organisations and projects that will get more people participating in sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport. As part of this they would fund all-weather sports facilities. Full details of Sport England funding can be found at the following link:
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding/local_spending_data.aspx
	Local authorities, schools and other commercial organisations would also fund these types of surfaces.

Subtitling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the compliance of (a) the BBC, (b) ITV and (c) Channel 4 with their requirements in respect of the subtitling of programmes.

Edward Vaizey: The BBC, Channel 3 licensees and Channel 4 must comply with Ofcom's code relating to the provision of services for the deaf and visually impaired, known as the Code on Television Access Services.
	Ofcom monitors compliance with the code. In 2011, Ofcom reported that the provision of access services (subtitling, sighing, and audio description) by broadcasters under the Code on Television Access Services, shows that the BBC had six channels which narrowly missed their 100% subtitling quota by less than 0.2% due to technical and operational outages. Channel 3 licensees and Channel 4 exceeded their quota targets of 90% by broadcasting 98.7% and 99.95% respectively of their programmes with subtitling.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has made no recent assessment of compliance. However, the broader communications review process, and the ongoing e-Accessibility forum being run by his Department, are opportunities for any issues in this important area to be raised and, where appropriate, addressed.

Subtitling

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the effect of the time taken to publish the Communications Green Paper on subtitling for the deaf.

Edward Vaizey: The Government are considering a range of issues as part of our Communications Review and where necessary it is our intention to legislate in this Parliament. The decision not to publish a Green Paper does not affect this timetable. There are existing statutory requirements on broadcasters to provide subtitling and we are inviting views as to whether and how the current arrangements on subtitling, and wider accessibility measures, can be improved.

VisitEngland

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff VisitEngland employs in (a) Yorkshire and Humber, (b) London and the South East and (c) total.

John Penrose: The Department does not collate this information. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of VisitEngland to write directly to my hon. Friend with this information.
	Copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

VisitEngland

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what guidance VisitEngland provides to tourist attractions on developing their business.

John Penrose: VisitEngland is working closely with local areas and destinations, in line with Government's localism agenda, to grow the value of local tourism economies. This is co-ordinated through the National Strategic Framework for Tourism, which includes an action programme developed in consultation with the tourism sector. VisitEngland is currently working with local areas on a campaign to deliver economic growth from the domestic market, and to support employment and job creation.
	VisitEngland's Accreditation and Assessment Schemes, including the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) and the National Accessible Scheme (NAS), help tourism businesses improve and promote their quality, as well as their accessibility and sustainability. Information on these schemes can be found on VisitEngland's website:
	http://www.visitengland.org/busdev/accreditation/index.aspx
	VAQAS uses a network of regional assessors to help to instigate, modify and shape change to the customer experience at visitor attractions across England. NAS is the only scheme that rates the accessibility of visitor accommodation throughout England. The NAS helps accommodation operators improve and promote their true level of accessibility.
	VisitEngland also offers an extensive range of business support tools and resources, including the Accommodation Know How website, Quality Edge magazine, and Access Statement and Green Start tools, which provide advice on best practice and developing business.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Banks

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  when he was first advised that the Crown Office and Prosecution Service was conducting investigations into banking conduct in Scotland;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Crown Office and Prosecution Service in Scotland on its investigation into banking in Scotland;
	(3)  whether (a) he and (b) his officials have met the Crown Office and Prosecution Service to discuss its investigation into banking conduct;
	(4)  what discussions he and his officials have had with the US Department of Justice and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission on inquiries into banking in Scotland;
	(5)  what discussions he has had with (a) the Director of Public Prosecutions and (b) the Attorney-General for England and Wales on inquiries into banking conduct;
	(6)  what discussions he and his officials have had with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Government on the inquiry into banking conduct;
	(7)  what discussions he has had with the Lord Advocate on the investigations by the Crown Office and Prosecution Service into banking conduct in Scotland.

Dominic Grieve: The Law Officers and their officials have regular contact with a wide range of authorities including criminal justice partners in Scotland, and discuss a range of issues of mutual interest. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced on 6 July that the SFO has opened an investigation into allegations of criminal conduct relating to LIBOR and will provide further information in due course.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Stella Creasy: To ask the Attorney-General what categories of data are recorded in the Crown Prosecution Service Case Management System and associated Management Information System on monitoring the management of offences involving violence against women and girls.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record, through its Case Management System, of defendant proceedings involving offences of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) by way of a series of monitoring flags. These include flags for domestic violence, rape, sexual offences, human trafficking, child abuse, so-called 'honour crime' and forced marriage. It is important to note that the monitoring flags are used for victim care and case management purposes. They are therefore entered at the outset of proceedings and remain on the system for the life of the case regardless of any changes made to the charge or indictment. All Official Statistics for the Criminal Justice System are provided by the Ministry of Justice
	In addition, the CPS monitors the volume of offences charged and reaching a first hearing in magistrates courts for offences of harassment, prostitution, female genital mutilation, pornography and obscenity. These data are published annually in the CPS VAWG Crime Report available on the CPS website at
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/data/violence_against_women/vaw_2010_11_report.html

Police: Surveillance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 12W, on police: surveillance, if at his next discussion with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), he will ask the DPP to provide an estimate of the number of cases where there may have been a miscarriage of justice due to the involvement of undercover police officers; if he will publish any such figure provided to him by the DPP; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: There is nothing further I can add to the response I gave on 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 12W, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Press Release of 3 July 2012. The CPS will publish any further information in due course.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Botulinum Toxin

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to replacing batch tests on botulinum toxin involving animals with validated alternatives used in other countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office is aware that a proprietary, cell-based potency assay as an alternative to the LD50 assay has recently been validated and approved outside the United Kingdom for a specific manufacturer’s botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) products in the USA, Canada, Switzerland and the EU. The approval of this alternative potency assay is limited to that manufacturer’s products and does not apply to BoNT products of other manufacturers.
	BoNT potency assays are product-specific and cannot be directly transferred to BoNT products of other manufacturers without additional validation. An alternative assay for the mouse LD50 assay has to be suitable for the intended purpose (validated) and equivalent to the LD50 assay (cross validated). An alternative assay will also have to comprise relevant BoNT functions and has to be stability indicating.
	We are actively encouraging BoNT manufacturers who have expressed a wish to test their products in the UK to develop and validate assays that will reduce the number of animals used, or refine or replace the test procedure with the goal of promoting animal welfare.

Antisocial Behaviour: Young People

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to tackle youth antisocial behaviour.

James Brokenshire: The majority of our young people are law-abiding members of their communities, but a minority engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour that makes victims' lives a misery. The Government's recent White Paper, 'Putting victims first', sets out our plans to support the police and their local partners to protect victims and communities, including by introducing faster, more effective powers to deal with the problem and taking action to deal with underlying drivers such as problem drinking and illicit drug use.

Assaults on Police

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were assaulted and the offender charged with (a) the offence of assault on a police constable in the execution of their duty and (b) another offence where the victim was a police officer in each of the last three years.

Nick Herbert: Information collected by the Home Office is on the number of assaults on police officers (headcount). These figures are provided within Table 1, for the last three years. It should be recognised that it may not be appropriate, given the circumstances of a case, to charge a person who has assaulted a police officer with the specific offence of assault on a constable.
	Figures are also collected for numbers of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for assault on a constable in England and Wales and they are also contained in Table 2. It is not possible to determine from available figures for prosecutions for other offences whether the victim was a police officer.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of assaults on police officers, financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 (headcount)(1, 2) 
			  Number 
			 2008-09 10,146 
			 2009-10 8,175 
			 2010-11 7,904 
			 (1) Figures are provisional and have not been verified by forces, (2)Source—Home Office using data received from police forces via the Annual Data Requirement. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for assault on a constable(1), England and Wales, calendar years 2009 to 2011(2, 3, 4) 
			  Number 
			 2009 10,681 
			 2010 10,351 
			 2011 10,845 
			 (1) Includes offences under the Police Act 1996, section 89(1). (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is Imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4)Sourc—Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Crime: USA

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by (a) US nationals in the UK and (b) UK nationals in the US in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 13 July 2012
	The information requested is not available from the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.

Customs Officers: North East

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many customs officers have been operating in the North West in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: holding answer 13 July 2012
	Customs Functions are carried out by Border Force officers. For security reasons Border Force does not provide a detailed breakdown of how many officers perform specific activities.
	Border Force North regional staffing figures in June for the last three years are as follows:
	June 2012—total staff in post 1,082 (full-time equivalent 1,032)
	June 2011—total staff in post 1,078 (full-time equivalent 1,029.03)
	June 2010—total staff in post 1,020 (full-time equivalent 1,159.28)

Domestic Violence: West Midlands

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of domestic violence in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands; and what assistance her Department offers to victims of domestic violence.

Lynne Featherstone: We have funded one independent domestic violence adviser (IDVA) in Coventry, and 15 IDVAs and four Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference co-ordinators (MARACs) across the West Midlands as a whole.
	The Government's updated action plan to progress our strategy to End Violence Against Women and Girls was published on 8 March. The action plan has been supported by the Government ring-fencing nearly £40 million of stable funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015.

Domestic Violence: Young People

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on training teachers to (a) teach on issues relating to and (b) identify young people who may be affected by domestic violence.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to tackling domestic violence and we will always consider what more can be done to identify and safeguard victims. Discussions at a ministerial level are ongoing via the Inter-Ministerial Group on Violence Against Women and Girls.

Driving Offences: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were caught speeding in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: Available data held by the Home Office are at police force area level and relate to the number of persons who were issued with fixed penalty notices for speeding in Nottinghamshire police force area. Relevant data are given in the table. Information relating to Ashfield constituency is not collected centrally.
	Issuing written warnings is another option for police forces for dealing with those accused of speeding; however Nottinghamshire police do not issue these for motoring offences.
	Data for 2011 are scheduled to be published next spring.
	The data provided do not cover all instances where people are caught speeding. Data on persons offered speed awareness courses after being caught speeding (introduced in Nottinghamshire in 2010) are not collected centrally. Additionally, data on persons proceeded against at court for speeding are a matter for the Ministry of Justice (who will respond separately). Additionally, some individuals may have been caught speeding more than once during the reporting period, so may appear more than once in the data provided.
	
		
			 Number of fixed penalty notices issued for speeding, Nottinghamshire police force area, 2008-10 
			 Type of disposal 2008 2009 2010 
			 Fixed penalty notices issued 32,975 30,906 17,795

Drugs: Decriminalisation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the effects of drug decriminalisation in Portugal; and what recent discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with their Portuguese counterparts on drug policy;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the (a) legalisation and regulation governing and (b) decriminalisation of controlled substances.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2012
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has not discussed the legalisation, regulation governing or decriminalisation of controlled substances with international counterparts. The Home Office has not assessed the effects of drug decriminalisation in Portugal, nor have Home Office Ministers discussed drug policy with Portuguese counterparts.

Gender Recognition

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date her Department issued its call for evidence on the actions included in its transgender equality action plan; if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the items of evidence submitted; what steps the Government proposes to take in response to those submissions; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 13 July 2012
	In 'Advancing Transgender Equality: A Plan for Action', the first Government action plan for transgender equality, the Government committed to launching a Call for Evidence on the commitments detailed within the action plan. This will allow anyone with an interest in transgender equality to let the Government know their views and insights on the progress that is being made to deliver the actions, how they might be implemented differently, or more effectively. This will help inform future Government policy on transgender equality.
	The Call for Evidence has not yet been launched, as Government Departments continue to implement their commitments in the action plan. The Government will publish the Call for Evidence in due course, together with an update on progress on the delivery of the commitments included. Copies of these documents will be placed in the House Library once available.

Gender Recognition

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when the Government intend to bring forward legislative proposals to address the issues identified in its transgender equality plan for action;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on initiatives taken to date by public bodies, businesses, practitioners and the voluntary sector to implement the commitments set out in the Government's transgender equality plan for action.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 13 July 2012
	: “Advancing Transgender Equality: A Plan for Action”, the first action plan for transgender equality was published in December 2011 and placed in the House Library. It includes a range of largely non-legislative measures to improve the lives of transgender people in a number of areas of public policy, including hate crime, health, education and employment.
	A number of those commitments have already been delivered, including the publication on 14 March 2012 of “Challenge It, Report It, Stop It”, the cross-Government action plan to tackle all forms of hate crime; active engagement with representatives from the transgender community during the Government's consultation on equal civil marriage, which closed on 14 June 2012; and a landmark conference which I hosted on combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity as part of the UK Chairmanship of the Council of Europe.
	The action plan made one commitment to introduce legislation, namely to amend section 146 and schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This amendment, included in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which received Royal Assent on 1 May 2012, provides for sentences to be aggravated for any offence motivated by hostility towards the victim on the grounds of being transgender, and for a 30-year starting point for murders motivated by hostility towards the victim on the grounds of being transgender. The Government expects to commence these provisions by the end of the year.

Licensed Premises: Closures

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many closure notices were issued in the Metropolitan police area under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 during 2011;
	(2)  how many closure notices were issued by the courts in the Metropolitan police area during 2011.

Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally.

National Crime Agency

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Metropolitan Police Service’s Operation Jigsaw (a) at Heathrow airport and (b) elsewhere will be brought into the National Crime Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The National Crime Agency (NCA) Programme is actively engaging with a number of law enforcement partners involved in tackling serious, organised or complex crime. However, no decisions have been made on the NCA’s role in relation to Operation Jigsaw.
	The National Crime Agency will work to ensure that the full range of its law enforcement partners benefit from the agency’s co-ordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, as well as being able to access its specialist capabilities where appropriate.

National Police Memorial Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps (a) she, (b) her Department and (c) the police are taking to mark National Police Memorial Day on 30 September 2012.

Nick Herbert: Ministers and senior officials will be attending the National Police Memorial Day service at York Minister on 30 September 2012. The Home Office does not hold information on what steps the police are taking to mark the day.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between her Department and stakeholders on the protection of children online.

Lynne Featherstone: Home Office Ministers and officials have regular and ongoing contact with a wide range of stakeholders regarding online child protection. The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with ministerial colleagues on the protection of children online.

Lynne Featherstone: The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (James Brokenshire), who has responsibility for crime and security, met the Under-Secretary of State for Education, the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), who has responsibility for children and families, at least quarterly during 2010 and until autumn 2011 to discuss online child protection issues as they co-chaired the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) executive board. When the former’s child internet safety responsibilities, including co-chairing UKCCIS, transferred to me, I continued to meet the latter at UKCCIS executive board meetings.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), who has responsibility for culture, communications and creative industries, is also a member of the UKCCIS executive board and I met him when he attended the board in February 2012.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has had regular meetings with Home Office ministerial colleagues to discuss online child protection, particularly with regard to ensuring that the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is able to continue its excellent work to protect children as it moves to the new National Crime Agency.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason police and crime panels have a two-thirds veto in respect of the budgets of police commissioners' budgets.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 11 July 2012
	The police service in England and Wales gets around a quarter of its funding from the police precept component of council tax. As council tax is raised locally, it was considered appropriate for Police and Crime Panels to have a clear role in scrutinising and, if necessary, vetoing, the precept level proposed by the police and crime commissioner (PCC).

Police and Crime Commissioners

George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to ensure police and crime commissioners take account of rural policing needs in (a) police plans and (b) police budgets;
	(2)  what guidance she plans to issue to newly-elected police and crime commissioners on (a) policing rural communities and (b) preventing rural crimes;
	(3)  what support police and crime commissioners will receive from her Department to help tackle rural crime.

Nick Herbert: The Government fully recognise the vulnerabilities of rural communities to particular crimes. The election of police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will ensure that rural communities are given a stronger voice in determining local policing plans. We will not be issuing prescriptive guidance to PCCs in policing rural communities or preventing rural crimes.
	The vast majority of Government funding to the police is allocated using the police allocation formula (PAF). The PAF distributes funding based on relative workload in an area, and a portion according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces.

Police and Crime Commissioners

George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she plans to issue to newly-elected police and crime commissioners on engagement with (a) community safety partnerships and (b) criminal justice boards.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office will not be issuing prescriptive guidance to police and crime commissioners (PCCs). However, briefing on how PCCs can engage with community safety partnerships and the criminal justice system is being made available to PCC candidates via the Home Office website.
	The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 puts in place a flexible framework for partnership working between the PCC and their community safety and criminal justice partners. This includes two interrelated, reciprocal duties to co-operate. The recent White Paper “Swift and Sure Justice” also set out the ways in which PCCs will interact with criminal justice bodies.

Police Community Support Officers

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there were in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The latest available information shows the number of police community support officers in Coventry basic command unit, west midlands police force and west midlands region and England in each of the five years up to 31 March 2011 (full-time equivalents). Figures for the number of police community support officers within Coventry and Coventry North East constituencies are not collected centrally by the Home Office.
	
		
			 Number of police community support officers in Coventry, West Midlands and England for the past five years as at 31 March(1) 
			  Coventry basic command unit West midlands police force West midlands region(2) England 
			 2006-07(3) 80 644 1,191 12,856 
			 2007-08(3) 108 748 1,362 15,108 
			 2008-09(3) 107 812 1,463 15,802 
			 2009-10(3) 106 811 1,466 16,200 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 100 758 1,395 15,134 
			 (1 )These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2 )West midlands region includes the following police forces: Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and west midlands. (3) Figures for Coventry basic command unit for 2006-07 to 2009-10 are the sum of West Midlands M1, West Midlands M2 and West Midlands M3 basic command units.

Police: Birth Certificates

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of police officers in police forces in England and Wales who have a registered place of birth in Scotland.

Nick Herbert: The requested information is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Police: Computers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the procurement of tablet computers for police forces is undertaken by her Department's centre of excellence procurement team;
	(2)  whether her Department plans to put the procurement of tablet computers for police forces to competitive tender.

Nick Herbert: As a result of the Police Act 1996 (Equipment Regulations) 2011, the police service contracts for the provision of commoditised IT hardware through a single IT reseller supplier. This has already reduced unit pricing by acting as a single point of purchase for the police service. The IT reseller and the Government Procurement Service are exploring ways to reduce the range of sub-suppliers who provide tablet computers and other hardware products. This is expected to provide further opportunities for greater price reductions while maintaining an element of product choice.

Police: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the findings of the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report Policing in austerity: one year on, published on 2 July 2012; for what reasons Sussex police authority is expected to lose 15 per cent of frontline officers by 2015 compared to the national average loss of 10 per cent; what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in police funding on the ability of Sussex Police Force to provide an efficient and effective service in the future; what recent discussions she has had on police funding reductions with (a) the Police Federation and (b) representatives of Sussex police force; if she will make it her policy to reassess the level of budget reductions; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: It is for chief officers, in conjunction with their police authorities or police and crime commissioners to ensure that they have plans which will deliver their required budget reductions while continuing to provide efficient and effective policing services for the public. Reductions in Government funding to the police over the spending review period are challenging but manageable, and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) report supports our view that the vast majority of forces have risen to this necessary challenge.
	The number of officers in Sussex police and how they are deployed is a matter for the chief constable.
	I note that HMIC's specific report on Sussex found that there was
	“sound planning and assumptions by the force, which make the projected savings realistic and achievable,”
	and that the force
	“has also considered the impact of losing officers and staff, particularly those with specialist skills, and has plans in place to minimise the impact of those losses.”
	We expect that forces will pay close attention to HMIC's findings as they continue to refine their plans for the future. I regularly discuss these issues with Sussex police, as I and my ministerial colleagues do with all police forces and representatives of the Police Federation.

Police: Horses

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police horses were in service in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of maintaining these horses in each of those years.

Nick Herbert: The Government allocates funding to police authorities or police and crime commissioners (PCCs). The allocation of resources within each force is a matter for the chief officer and the police authority or PCC. We do not hold information centrally on resources for mounted police sections.

Police: Job Satisfaction

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the current state of police morale; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 6 July 2012
	I take a keen interest in police morale and, along with other Ministers, meet police officers of all ranks from forces across England and Wales on a regular basis.

Riot Control Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what reviews have been undertaken into the long-term medical effects of the use of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland; and what information her Department holds on the effects of their use in other jurisdictions;
	(2)  what advice she has given to police authorities on their stocks of plastic bullets, water cannon and crowd-controlling anti-riot gases;
	(3)  what advice she has given to police authorities on the use of plastic bullets, water cannon and gas in the event of civil disturbances;
	(4)  what stocks of (a) plastic bullets, (b) water cannon and (c) crowd control gas is held by (i) police authorities and (ii) the armed forces.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 12 July 2012
	There have not been any reviews by the Home Office into the long-term medical effects of the use of plastic bullets, more accurately known as Attenuating Energy Projectile (AEP), in Northern Ireland or in other jurisdictions. The deployment and storage of AEP is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has not provided any advice to police authorities on the storage or use of AEP. The Home Office does not hold information on stocks held by police authorities or the armed forces. Neither water cannon nor ‘crowd control gases' are approved for use in England and Wales.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK adopted the technical specifications to support the second generation Schengen Information System set out in EU Council Decision 2007/171/EC.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2012
	EU Commission Decision 2007/171/EC has no practical impact on the United Kingdom’s national second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) implementation programme although it is in our interest to ensure that the capacity and performance of the SIS II network is adequate for operational requirements. We have therefore participated in the regulatory committee which debated and agreed the network requirements set out in the Commission Decision.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation her Department (a) made and (b) published regarding the effects in the UK of EU Council Decision 2005/211/JHA.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2012
	EU Council Decision 2005/211/JHA applies only to the current Schengen Information System (SIS 1). The United Kingdom has not connected to SIS 1 and has no plans to do so.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government has fully enacted the provisions of EU Council Decisions (a) 2006/228/JHA, (b) 2006/229/JHA and (c) 2006/631/JHA relating to the Schengen Information System.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2012
	These instruments only apply to the current Schengen Information System (SIS 1). The United Kingdom has not implemented SIS 1 and has no plans to do so.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2008/173/EC, whether the tests of the second generation Schengen Information System the decision provides for were successfully completed by the UK authorities.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2012
	EU Council Decision 2008/173/EC only applies directly to member states already participating in the current Schengen Information System (SIS 1) and migrating to SIS II. The United Kingdom therefore does not have to participate in these tests.

Stop and Search: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each ethnic group were subject to stop and search by police in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The level of information requested is not collected centrally. Available data are at police force area level and were published in the recent “Police Powers and Procedures 2010-11” statistical release’s tables, which are available on the Home Office website. Stop and search figures relating to the West Midlands police force area are shown as follows. Data for 2011-12 are scheduled to be published next spring.
	
		
			 Number of persons stopped and searched by self-defined ethnicity: West Midlands police force area, 2010-11 
			 Self-defined ethnicity Section 1(1) Section 60(2) Section 44(3) Total 
			 White 10,116 62 (4)— 10,178 
			 Black (or Black British) 2.619 101 (4)— 2,720 
			 Asian (or Asian British) 4,953 93 (4)— 5,046 
			 Chinese or Other 226 3 (4)— 229 
			 Mixed 868 18 (4)— 886 
			 Not stated 1,367 42 (4)— 1,409 
			 Total 20,149 319 (4)— 20,468 
			 (1 )Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). (2 )Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. (3 )Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. (4 )Denotes nil.

Stop and Search: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women and (b) men were subject to stop and search by police in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Victim Support Schemes

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has provided to each organisation or group providing help and support to victims of discrimination and human rights abuses in the last year for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 13 July 2012
	The Home Office has provided funding to a range of organisations and groups in support of its priorities and objectives. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, an arm's length body of the Home Office, has provided funding to organisations and groups providing help and support to victims of discrimination and human rights abuses. It has done this from within its overall budget which is funded by the Home Office, through the Government Equalities Office. The Government Equalities Office itself has not provided funding directly to organisations or groups for this purpose.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Circuses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what inspections her Department undertook at the Great British Circus in 2009.

James Paice: Animal Health (now the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)—an executive agency of DEFRA) carried out two welfare related visits to the Great British Circus for DEFRA in 2009. However, other individual AHVLA offices may also have undertaken inspections that year for which no central record is kept.

Dogs

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish her Department's response to its consultation on tackling irresponsible dog ownership.

James Paice: The responses to the consultation on irresponsible dog ownership are currently being analysed in DEFRA. The findings of the consultation will be published as soon as this process is complete.

Food: Charitable Donations

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1385W, on food: charitable donations, what the outcome was of her Department's (a) examination of barriers to food redistribution and (b) discussions with Lord Young of Graffham on removing civil and criminal liability from good faith food donors;

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to encourage large supermarkets to donate unwanted food to FareShare and similar organisations.

James Paice: holding answer 9 July 2012
	On 3 July, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Under-Secretary of State, my noble Friend Lord Taylor of Holbeach, hosted a roundtable discussion with major retailers and food redistribution charities. This explored the barriers to redistribution and considered an outline proposal from FareShare and FoodCycle that seeks to make redistribution easier for both charities and retailers. This proposal would build upon the partnerships most major retailers already have with redistribution charities.
	DEFRA officials are working with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to provide clarity on the existing legal situation for food donors. The FSA, which is responsible for food safety, advises that food passed on or supplied in this way must meet EU food safety requirements in order to protect consumers and safeguard public health.

Food: Labelling

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure food products labelled as produce of Morocco are not from Western Sahara.

James Paice: General advice has been given to the British Retail Consortium about the consumer sensitivities surrounding the labelling of produce imported into the United Kingdom which is of Western Sahara provenance.
	Under EU law, information on food labels must not mislead consumers, and failing to give particulars of the place of origin or provenance of a food when consumers may otherwise be misled to a material degree as to the food's true origin or provenance is an offence.
	DEFRA officials have discussed origin labelling with the British Retail Consortium, indicating the desirability of giving “Produce of Western Sahara” as the origin on the labels of such goods.
	However, in the case of produce packaged in the region of production, DEFRA recognises that it may not be practical or economic for an importer or a retailer to label goods of Western Sahara origin in that way, in view of the fact that such a declaration of origin cannot be made when the goods are imported into the EU if they are to qualify for the preferential tariff treatment provided for by the EU-Morocco Agreement.

Food: Waste

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what she is doing to encourage the reduction of food waste by food suppliers.

James Paice: The Government are working to reduce food and packaging waste through the Courtauld Commitment, our responsibility deal with grocery retailers and manufacturers.
	On 27 June, we launched the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement, our new voluntary agreement with restaurants, hotels, pubs and canteens. This aims to reduce food and packaging waste and to manage the waste that does arise more sustainably.
	On 3 July, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and my noble Friend, Lord Taylor of Holbeach hosted a roundtable discussion with major retailers and food redistribution charities. This explored the barriers to redistribution and considered an outline proposal from FareShare and FoodCycle that seeks to make redistribution easier for both charities and retailers. This proposal would build upon the partnerships most major retailers already have with redistribution charities.

Horses: Transport

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horses were exported for slaughter in each of the last five years.

James Paice: While EU and domestic legislation permit the export of horses for slaughter, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has not received any applications for health certificates or export licences for horses declared as intended for slaughter in 2012, or for any of the preceding four years. Domestic legislation prohibits the export of ponies intended for slaughter.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many publications her Department has issued since May 2010; and what the title was of each (a) publication and (b) consultation document issued by her Department since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Core DEFRA records indicate that 381 serial numbers were allocated between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012. All currently available DEFRA publications can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/
	(b) All of DEFRA's consultation listings can be accessed online via the departmental website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/consultations
	where the Department retains material for one year. Older information is available on the National Archives website:
	http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

WALES

Manchester Declaration

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress her Department has made in implementing the Manchester Declaration of 2005.

Cheryl Gillan: The Manchester Declaration of 2005 has been superseded by the Malmo Declaration and eGovernment Action Plan (2011-15) and the broader Digital Agenda for Europe. The UK contribution to the eGovernment Action Plan continues to be led by the Cabinet Office.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 420W, on publications, how much her Department has spent on (a) circulars, (b) consultation documents and (c) publications since May 2010.

David Jones: The Wales Office spent £3,038 to publish our consultation document on the boundaries of the National Assembly constituencies.

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in her Department were in the Civil Service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such staff had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

David Jones: There are currently no Wales Office staff members in the civil service redeployment pool.

Unemployment

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 651W, on unemployment, by how much claimant count in these categories has risen since May 2010.

Cheryl Gillan: Since May 2010 in Wales unemployment has risen by 6,045 (8.3%), youth unemployment has risen by 2,070 (8.7%) and long-term youth unemployment has risen by 2,765 (37.1%).
	It is worth noting that during the last Parliament of the previous Government unemployment in Wales rose by 32,060 (79.4%), youth unemployment rose by 10,105 (73.5%) and long-term youth unemployment rose by 5,085 (215%).

SCOTLAND

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the future of post offices in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had regular discussions with the Minister with responsibility for postal affairs, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), and other ministerial colleagues about the future of post office services in Scotland. The Government have made clear our commitment to maintaining the Post Office network across the UK, which is supported by £1.34 billion of Government funding.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 420W, on publications, how much his Department has spent on (a) circulars, (b) consultation documents and (c) publications since May 2010.

David Mundell: The cost of the publications listed in my answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 420W, was £14,711.21.

PRIME MINISTER

Official Visits

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many times he has visited (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland since May 2010;
	(2)  when he last visited (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.

David Cameron: A list of my UK visits will be published shortly.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Data Security

Alun Cairns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many thefts of tablet and mobile phones from the Commons part of the parliamentary estate have been reported since May 2010; and whether any such thefts led to data on these devices being accessed illegally.

John Thurso: Between 1 May 2010 and 11 July 2012, 10 tablets and 13 mobile phones were reported to the Metropolitan Police Service of the Palace of Westminster as stolen from the Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate. These totals include items reported stolen by members of the public and other visitors.
	There is no evidence of illegal access to data arising from the theft of a tablet or mobile phone belonging to Members, their staff or staff of either House during this period. The devices in such cases were wiped remotely (excluding older mobex phones), and all SIMs suspended, once reported as lost/presumed stolen.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Corporation Tax

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of proposals to devolve power to set the rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Owen Paterson: Arrangements under which such devolution might take place, with the agreement of the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, are under consideration in the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy.

Corporation Tax

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress has been made by the Joint Ministerial Working Group on corporation tax.

Owen Paterson: Ministers from the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive attended the Ministerial Working Group on Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy in Belfast on 25 June.
	Good progress has been made on some aspects of the group's work, including the potential shape of a devolved corporation tax regime, but there remain some crucial areas where significant differences of opinion still exist, including on the potential costs to the Northern Ireland block grant.
	Officials will continue to work over the summer to seek to resolve these differences and the Ministerial Working Group has agreed to meet again in September.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Absenteeism

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the absentee rate for civil servants in his Department was in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: holding answer 13 July 2012
	The average number of working days lost due to sickness absence were reported to Cabinet Office for the last three calendar years for the Department for Communities and Local Government as follows:
	
		
			  DCLG 
			 2009 4.6 
			 2010 6.3 
			 2011 6.5 
		
	
	Average sickness rates in the Department are below the civil service average. The Department is currently looking at streamlining its policies on sick absence and is taking a proactive role in working with line managers to tackle sick absence.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not sold and then leased back any assets over the last 12 months.

Homelessness and Repossession Orders

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the contribution of manipulation on the LIBOR rate to the level of (a) repossessions and (b) homelessness.

Grant Shapps: Further to my answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 581, I can note that only a very small minority of mortgages, primarily subprime and buy-to-let from specialist lenders, are directly linked to LIBOR. Most of these were lent before the banking crisis. Very few (if any) of the large banks/building societies provide mortgage products which have a direct link to LIBOR. Therefore only a small minority of mortgages will have been directly affected by the attempted manipulation.
	It may be possible that there was some indirect impact on the pricing of mortgages. This is due to the links between LIBOR and the cost of wholesale funding. However, wholesale funding makes up only a part of the funding mix used by banks to lend to the real economy, and the cost of funding is one of a number of factors used by banks when considering how to price their mortgages. Therefore while the attempted manipulation may have had some indirect effects, these are likely to have been small. It is also important to remember that where the aim was to attempt to manipulate LIBOR downwards, the effect may have been positive, as it would have reduced the costs of bank funding.
	The Government has established an independent review into the structure and governance of LIBOR and the corresponding criminal sanctions regime. This will be headed by Martin Wheatley (Chief Executive Officer designate of the Financial Conduct Authority) and it is envisaged that it will report by the end of summer.

Homelessness: Greater London

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) he and (b) his officials have had any contact with the London boroughs of Richmond, Kingston, Sutton and Croydon to discuss their proposal to house homeless families outside their boroughs.

Grant Shapps: The Department has not made contact with the London boroughs of Richmond, Kingston, Sutton or Croydon to discuss specifically their proposal to house families outside their boroughs. However, officials within the Department's Homelessness and Support Division regularly make contact with local authorities to discuss homelessness issues including their use of housing stock to accommodate homeless families.
	The law makes it clear that local authorities must secure accommodation within their own borough so far as reasonably practicable. The Government want to go further on this and are currently consulting on how best to strengthen requirements in relation to location and suitability when local authorities secure accommodation for the use of households owed duties under the homelessness legislation.

Homelessness: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of homeless veterans in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales.

Grant Shapps: The Department does not collect information on the total number of people in households that have been accepted as being owed the main homelessness duty who have previously served in HM forces, but it does collect information from local authorities on:
	(i) The number of households accepted as homeless in a particular period where the applicant was vulnerable as a result of serving in HM forces; and
	(ii) The number of households accepted as homeless in a particular period where the main reason for the loss of the last settled home was leaving HM forces.
	
		
			 Applicant households found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need 2011-12 
			  Having served in HM forces (E2.11) Left HM forces(E3.11a) 
			 England 30 182 
			 South Yorkshire 1 2 
			 Barnsley 0 0 
			 Source: P1E returns, questions E2 11 and E3 11 a 
		
	
	Separate figures are not collected for the Barnsley Central parliamentary constituency. The closest matching area for which figures exist is that covered by Barnsley metropolitan borough council, which also includes the Barnsley East constituency and parts of the Penistone and Stocksbridge and Wentworth and Dearne constituencies. South Yorkshire comprises of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield local authorities.
	The Department does not collect figures for Wales: these are a devolved matter. A figure for the number of households accepted as homeless and in priority need in Wales in 2011-12 where a member was vulnerable due to being homeless after leaving the armed forces is, however, available in the Welsh Government's published statistical release for ‘Homelessness, January to March 2012’. This is available at:
	http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/housing2012/120620/?lang=en
	We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness. This includes £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund to support the roll-out of No Second Night Out and protect vital front line services and £20 million Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice. This is on top of the existing £10 million to help single people access private rented sector accommodation and the £400 million we are investing for homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15).
	England has one of the strongest safety nets in the world to protect families and vulnerable households who become homeless through no fault of their own. It provides a consistent, national statutory framework for the provision of homelessness assistance across England.
	The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness will shortly publish its second report on preventing homelessness which will include veterans. The latest figures from CHAIN which covers London highlight that only 4% of rough sleepers from the UK have experience of the armed forces.
	I am determined to ensure that current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country. I have, therefore, introduced measures to place members of the armed forces at the top of the priority list for home ownership schemes, including FirstBuy.
	I recently published final new statutory social allocations guidance, following consultation, setting out how councils' allocation schemes can give priority to all service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.
	I am also changing the law by regulation so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing; and councils are prevented from applying local connection requirements to disqualify members of the armed forces and those within five years of leaving the services. Following consultation, we are also extending these regulations to bereaved spouses and seriously injured reservists.

Housing Benefit

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2012, Official Report, column 600W, on housing benefit, whether the increase in expenditure on housing benefit since the original impact assessment from the affordable rent model will be funded from the Homes and Communities Agency's budget.

Grant Shapps: Housing providers' response to the Affordable Homes programme exceeded our original expectations. As a result, we now expect to be able to deliver 80,000 new affordable homes through the Affordable Homes programme, compared to our expectation of 56,000 at the time of the affordable rent impact assessment.
	This positive response means that we now expect to deliver a total of 170,000 new affordable homes over this spending review period, through a total investment of £19.5 billion public and private funding.
	Because we have been able to provide more homes with the original budget than we anticipated at the time of the impact assessment, there will be some further impact on the housing benefit bill. The Department for Communities and Local Government therefore agreed to cover the anticipated £56 million increase in housing benefit costs over the spending review period associated with this increase in delivery. This was funded from Departmental Unallocated Provision.
	I note that the National Audit Office's recent study into the Affordable Rent programme observed that:
	“The Department selected the best delivery model open to it for the funds it had available... The Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding... The Programme was over subscribed which led to the Department raising its target for the number of affordable homes it expects to deliver.”
	(National Audit Office, Financial viability of the social housing sector: introducing the Affordable Homes Programme, 4 July 2012, HC 465, pp.6-7).

Housing Benefit

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2012, Official Report, column 600W, on housing benefit, how the estimated increase in housing benefit expenditure used in the central scenario of Table 8 of the impact assessment of the new affordable rent model was calculated.

Grant Shapps: The methodology and key assumptions used to calculate the housing benefit impact of the Affordable Homes programme, and other economic and social impacts of the programme, are set out in the published Impact Assessment in Section D: Cost Benefit Analysis (pages 19 to 37):
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/1918816.pdf

Housing: Construction

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for his Department's review of the New Homes Bonus.

Grant Shapps: The Government will formally consider the impact of the New Homes Bonus in 2013-14 in preparation for the next spending review.

Hull

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answers of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 10W and of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 689-90W, and with reference to the contribution by the Minister for Housing and Local Government of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 184WH, on regeneration, how many times the Minister for Housing and Local Government has visited Hull in an official capacity since May 2010.

Bob Neill: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer to him of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 10W, and to the answer to him of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 689W.

Public Expenditure

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he expects his Department to underspend its budget for 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of any such underspend.

Bob Neill: The Office of Budgetary Responsibility forecasts underspends against departmental expenditure limits as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook in the autumn.
	As part of its transparency agenda the Government publish the full detail of plans and outturn for all Departments after the end of the financial year, usually in September. HM Treasury publishes outturn data for all Departments from the COINS database, available on the Treasury website on a quarterly basis. Forecasts for 2012-13 outturn by Department will be published at Budget 2013.

Public Sector: Land

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to review his Department's public land auction pilots; and to what timetable;
	(2)  when he expects the first pilot land auction to be held;
	(3)  what funding his Department proposes to allocate to local authorities that will be piloting the land auction scheme;
	(4)  which local authorities his Department has selected as pilots for the auction of public land.

Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 16 April 2012, Official Report, columns 202-03W. This sets out how we are undertaking the pilot, which is testing the land disposal elements of the land auctions model on public land. We have put funding aside to support the participating local authorities during the pilot, which will run to March 2014, with the aim of having two sites ready for market by the end of the year. We will report on the learning from the pilot in due course.

Quarrying: Kent

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to make a decision on the proposed westerly extension to Hermitage Quarry, Aylesford, Kent, reference TM10/2029.

Bob Neill: The inquiry into the above application is due to open at 10.00 am on 27 November 2012 at Oakwood House Hotel, Oakwood Park, Maidstone, Kent. It is expected to last for up to 12 days. The date by when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will make a decision on the application will be announced after the closure of the inquiry.

Social Rented Housing: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to increase the social housing stock in Birmingham, Ladywood.

Grant Shapps: We are investing £4.5 billion over the spending review period to deliver 170,000 affordable homes in England. This investment will lever in £15 billion of private sector investment, a total of £19.5 billion.
	Between April 2011, and March 2015, almost £39 million is being invested through the Affordable Homes programme to provide 772 new affordable homes in the Birmingham local authority area for rent and affordable home ownership. These figures are subject to change as schemes are finalised. This information is not available by constituency.
	The New Homes Bonus also rewards councils for helping provide more affordable housing; our empty homes programme will support vacant properties being brought back into use as affordable housing; and the Community Right to Build will help provide low-cost homes for local families and residents.

TRANSPORT

A3: Hampshire

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to publish noise action plans for the A3 in East Hampshire arising from the 2007 noise mapping exercise.

Michael Penning: The noise action plans were published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in 2010. The Highways Agency has investigated all important areas with first priority locations on the strategic road network, including those on the A3 in East Hampshire, which DEFRA identified using the criteria set out in their 2010 action plans. The remaining important areas will be investigated during financial year 2012-13. The Highways Agency will be sending out the outcome of its investigations at all important areas with first priority locations to the relevant local authorities, as required by the noise action plans, during summer 2012.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assets her Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Norman Baker: To the best of my knowledge, the Department for Transport has not sold and leased back any assets over the last 12 months.

Aviation: EU Action

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions her Department has had on the EU's proposals for limitations on flight times; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is still considering the responses to its comment response document issued on 18 January 2012 and their final opinion is expected later this autumn. We will consider our position, taking into account advice from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), once EASA has published their final set of draft rules. We will not support EASA's proposals if the CAA advises that these do not provide an appropriate level of protection against fatigue.

Aviation: Fees and Charges

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Consumer Association on the pricing policies and hidden charges of budget airlines.

Theresa Villiers: No recent discussions have taken place on this issue with the Consumers' Association. Pricing policies are a matter for the airlines. However, Regulation EC1008/2008 on Common Rules of the Operation of Air Services in the Community includes measures on airline ticket pricing.
	Article 23 of the regulation requires the final price of an air ticket (inclusive of all foreseeable and unavoidable taxes, fees and charges) to be displayed at all times. Any optional price supplements, such as those covering hold baggage or insurance, must be communicated clearly at the start of the booking process. The acceptance of optional price supplements by the customer must be on an ‘opt-in' basis.
	In February 2012 the Civil Aviation Authority published a summary of the optional charges levied by the top airlines in the UK in one price comparison document. Information on the cost of taking hold luggage on board, having an in-flight meal and reserving specific seats is all included, as well as a range of other optional charges that airlines may apply. A link to the summary can be found via the following link:
	http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/2200/Comparing_airline_charges.pdf

Blue Badge Scheme: Thalidomide

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy that thalidomide survivors should automatically receive blue badges.

Norman Baker: The main aim of the blue badge scheme is to enable severely disabled people to park close to places they need to visit. The main category of people who can qualify for a badge is those who have a permanent and substantial disability that means they are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking. Local authorities administer and enforce the scheme and it is for them to take decisions on whether or not someone meets the eligibility criteria. They are now required to refer people for an independent assessment in cases where a person's eligibility may be in doubt.
	However, it was recognised by previous Governments that those people with thalidomide-related disabilities would also benefit from being in possession of a badge. The scheme was therefore extended in 1992 to include such people. The criterion was strictly limited to those who regularly drive a motor vehicle but who have such a severe disability in both upper limbs that they are unable to turn the steering wheel by hand even if that wheel is fitted with a turning knob.
	In October 2007, the eligibility criterion was extended to people with severe disabilities in both arms so that people who regularly drive a non-adapted vehicle but cannot operate, or have considerable difficulty operating, all or some types of parking meter are eligible for a badge. We have no plans to make any further changes to this criterion.

British Midland Airways: Pensions

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood of 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 68W, on bmi, what discussions she had on the future of the bmi pension scheme.

Theresa Villiers: None. Company pensions are regulated by the Pensions Regulator. Ministers are not involved in its casework or decisions. The Pensions Regulator has issued a report under section 89 of the Pensions Act 2004, which explains fully the decision it has made on the bmi scheme and is available on the Pensions Regulator's website.

East Coast Railway Line

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will request that Network Rail rearranges planned engineering work on East Coast line on 15 and 16 September in order to avoid disruption to the Great North Run event.

Theresa Villiers: The scope and timing of engineering works are operational matters for Network Rail under the industry's national possessions planning regime which is overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation, not Ministers.
	Network Rail advises that the major works programme between Newcastle and Edinburgh has been planned with the relevant train operators since October 2010, before the finalisation of the date for the Great North Run 2012.
	As part of our general efforts to improve efficiency on the railways, we are encouraging Network Rail to work closely with train operators and other relevant stakeholders on planning possessions and completing them on time.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many take-off and landing slots at Heathrow were allocated to flights (a) departing to and (b) arriving from (i) Belgium, (ii) Cyprus and (iii) Greece in the latest period in which figures are available and what proportion of the air transport movement cap that represents.

Theresa Villiers: The number of flights departing to and arriving from Belgium, Cyprus and Greece at Heathrow in 2011 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Air transport movement between Heathrow and Belgium, Cyprus and Greece, 2011 
			  Thousand Proportion (%) 
			  Arrivals Departures Total Arrivals Departures 
			 Belgium 3.4 3.6 7.0 1.4 1.5 
			 Cyprus 1.5 1.5 2.9 0.6 0.6 
			 Greece 2.7 2.7 5.4 1.1 1.1 
			 Total Heathrow 238.1 238.2 476.3 — —

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) terminating and (b) transfer passengers arrived at Heathrow in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: In 2011, an estimated 23 million terminating and 12 million transfer passengers arrived at Heathrow.

Large Goods Vehicles: Epilepsy

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the eligibility criteria to apply for a standard driving licence are different from that for heavy good vehicle licences for people who have suffered an historic epileptic condition.

Michael Penning: In the interests of road safety, medical standards are generally stricter for those wishing to drive lorries and buses. Drivers of these vehicles tend to spend more time driving and typically, drive longer distances than other drivers. Accidents involving larger vehicles are more likely to result in death or serious injury than those involving cars or smaller vehicles.

Large Goods Vehicles: Epilepsy

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will ask the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to permit people who have suffered a historic epilepsy condition to apply for an heavy goods vehicle licence.

Michael Penning: Driving licence rules, including the minimum standards of medical fitness in Great Britain, are governed by European law. Those whose medical history of epilepsy poses no risk to road safety may be licensed to drive larger vehicles subject to strict criteria. The minimum requirement is that those who no longer suffer with or are liable to suffer from epileptic seizures may by licensed to drive buses and lorries. This is providing they remain free of epileptic attacks for at least 10 years without the aid of anti-epileptic medication.

Manchester Declaration

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department and its agencies have made on implementation of the Manchester Declaration of 2005.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies have delivered a number of significant digital products for consumers which are compatible with the Manchester Declaration. These include the on-line renewal of vehicle excise duty, on-line driving test booking and the Transport Direct journey planning portal.
	This Department is an active contributor to the delivery of the Government's ICT Strategy, the Transparency and Open Data agendas and the Digital by Default programme.

Railway Stations: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects work to (a) begin and (b) finish on the Apperley Bridge Railway Station as part of the Leeds Rail Growth Package.

Theresa Villiers: Commencement of works at Apperley Bridge station is anticipated in summer 2013. The expected completion date of the Leeds Rail Growth Package is December 2014.

Railways

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage more people to use trains rather than other methods of transport.

Theresa Villiers: The Department is working to improve the quality of all modes of transport.
	With regard to rail, the Government's Rail Reform Command Paper, published in March 2012, set out our ambition for a more customer-focused and financially sustainable railway for both passengers and freight. It sets out Government's aim to put an end to above- inflation rises in regulated rail fares when savings are achieved in the cost of running the railways and the wider economic situation permits.
	The Government have also confirmed plans for a national high speed rail network stretching from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, including stations in the east midlands and south Yorkshire, as well as connections to Heathrow and HS1. HS2 is forecast to carry up to 4.5 million passengers every year who might otherwise have travelled by air, as well as seeing up to nine million passengers transfer from the national road network.
	The Government have also today announced a £9.4 billion package of investment for our railways for the period 2014-19, including £4.2 billion of funding for new schemes to expand capacity and improve services for passengers and freight users.

Railways: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations she has received on improving rail links between Barnsley and (a) Leeds, (b) Sheffield and (c) London; and if she will undertake a review of railway links in and out of Barnsley.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport maintains close links with regional partners to discuss options or the development of the network. The responsibility for network planning, however, lies with Network Rail and we have no plans to undertake any independent assessment of links into or out of Barnsley.

Railways: Bicycles

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) Southern Railway, (b) Southeastern Railway and (c) relevant cycling organisations about the restrictions they have imposed on bicycles on trains during the period of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Theresa Villiers: The Department has been made aware of temporary changes to such policies during the period of the Olympic and Paralympics Games. Regular discussions have taken place with operators on all their operational preparations to accommodate the large numbers of additional passengers expected at Games time. I am not aware that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has had any specific discussions with cycling organisations about Olympics restrictions, but the Department is in regular touch with such organisations in promoting cycling as an alternative form of transport for local journeys.

Railways: Freight

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to promote transportation of freight by rail.

Theresa Villiers: In the last five years the Government have announced record levels of rail freight investment to support continued growth including:
	(i) £200 million towards the development of a strategic freight network;
	(ii) over £150 million on the provision of infrastructure enhancement for freight through the Productivity Transport Innovation Fund;
	(iii) £55 million for work on the strategic freight network announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s autumn statement of 2011.
	The Government also support the shift of freight from road to rail through the Department for Transport’s Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme. This assists companies with the operating costs of rail or inland waterways, where these are more expensive than road and where there are environmental benefits. Over 800,000 lorries a year are taken off the road as a result of this scheme.

Railways: Freight

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the volume of coal transported by rail in each year since 1997.

Theresa Villiers: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Coal moved on GB national railways from 1996-97 to 2010-11 
			  Measured in billion net tonne kilometres 
			 1996-97 3.9 
			 1997-98 4.4 
			 1998-99 4.5 
			 1999-2000 4.8 
			 2000-01 4.8 
			 2001-02 6.2 
			 2002-03 5.7 
			 2003-04 5.8 
			 2004-05 6.7 
			 2005-06 8.3 
			 2006-07 8.6 
			 2007-08 7.7 
			 2008-09 7.9 
			 2009-10 6.2 
			 2010-11 5.5 
			 Source: Department for Transport.

Railways: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure Shrewsbury has a direct rail service to London.

Theresa Villiers: Bids for the new West Coast franchise, due to start in December 2012, are currently being evaluated. In preparing their bids, bidders were encouraged to consult with stakeholders and use the consultation to understand stakeholder aspirations and consider addressing these in their proposals for the franchise. Such views were expected to form part of bidders’ deliberations in deciding the best service pattern they could offer. We have included sufficient flexibility and commercial freedom for whoever is selected to operate this new franchise to provide a direct service to Shrewsbury if they believe there is a commercial case for so doing.

Railways: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of trains ran within 60 seconds of scheduled time in each year between 1992 and 1997. [R]

Norman Baker: Industry data for this statistic are not available for the years requested.

Rescue Services: Fareham

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the new Maritime Operations centre in Fareham will (a) open and (b) be fully operational.

Michael Penning: The modernisation plan for Her Majesty’s Coastguard was announced on 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 161-64. This announcement outlined that following extensive practitioner-led testing the new national Maritime Operations centre will be open and operational during the financial year 2013-14.

Rescue Services: South Lanarkshire

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the future of Forth Coastguard station.

Michael Penning: The modernisation plan for Her Majesty’s Coastguard was announced on 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 161-64. This announcement outlined that Forth Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) would close by the end of financial year 2012-13.
	In line with that announcement, operational control of the area of responsibility currently managed by Forth MRCC will transfer to Aberdeen MRCC by 28 September 2012.

Taxis: Disabled

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to launch a consultation on the proportion of wheelchair accessible vehicles per local fleet that must be met before a licensing authority can refuse to grant a licence for a wheelchair accessible vehicle for the purpose of controlling taxi numbers.

Norman Baker: The Government has in place a rigorous approval system for considering the implications of any new Regulation which it introduces. We have been considering the case for commencing section 161 of the Equality Act 2010 to which this question refers in the context of the review of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing being carried out by the Law Commission.

Taxis: Disabled

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to implement sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010 on the imposition of the duties on taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to assist passengers in wheelchairs.

Norman Baker: The Government has in place a rigorous approval system for considering the implications of any new Regulation which it introduces. We have been considering the case for commencing section 165 and 167 in the context of that approvals process, and I intend to make an announcement about section 165 and 167 in the near future.

Taxis: Disabled

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 relating to taxis, private hire vehicles and accessibility for disabled persons to be brought into force.

Norman Baker: There are a number of sections of the Equality Act 2010 which relate specifically to taxis. The following table explains the status of these sections.
	
		
			 Section Description Status 
			 160, 162-164 Provisions to require all taxis to meet certain accessibility standards No immediate plans to commence 
			 165-167 Imposition of duties on taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to assist passengers in wheelchairs Considering the case for commencing 
			 161 Qualifying local authorities' power to limit taxi numbers Considering the case for commencing 
			 166 Allows exemption from the duties to assist In force from October 2010 
			 168-171 Duty to carry assistance dogs In force from October 2010 
			 172, 173 Appeals and interpretation In force from October 2010

Taxis: Disabled

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the (a) cost and (b) availability of taxi and private hire vehicles that are accessible to disabled people.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport carries out every two years a survey of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing which includes questions about the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles in licensing authority areas. This survey is published on the Department's website.
	The Department does not routinely keep information on taxi or private hire vehicle fares. Generally, local licensing authorities set a tariff for taxi fares and drivers must not charge more than the tariff rate (normally displayed on a taximeter). There is no power in legislation for local authorities to set fares for private hire vehicles. These are a matter for the commercial judgement of the PHV operator.
	Section 29 of the Equality Act 2010 is intended to provide protection against discriminatory processes.

Taxis: Disabled

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received from (a) individuals and (b) organisations regarding the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in respect of disabled access to taxis and private hire vehicles.

Norman Baker: Since 2 May 2012, Ministers at the Department for Transport have received 35 letters from MPs about the implementation of sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act.
	Since the Equality Act gained Royal Assent in 2010, I and my officials have held regular meetings with representatives of the taxi and private hire vehicle operator trades, local licensing authorities and interested groups, including those representing disabled people. These meetings have concerned a range of subjects relating to taxi and private hire vehicle operations, including discussions on access to taxi and private hire vehicles to disabled people. The Department has also answered a number of written and verbal enquires relating to taxi and private hire vehicle operations.

West Anglia Railway Line

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with Network Rail and train operating companies on improving (a) punctuality, (b) value for money and (c) service provision on the West Anglia Mainline.

Norman Baker: Ministers and officials regularly meet Network Rail and train operating companies to discuss these and other issues. Last week I met Network Rail to discuss the resilience of the line ahead of the Olympics.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

House of Lord Reform

Michael McCann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what legal opinion he has sought on the primacy of the House of Commons under his proposals to create an elected House of Lords; and whether he plans to make that opinion available to the House.

Mark Harper: It is a well established convention that the Government do not reveal whether or not the advice of the Law Officers has been sought. However, it is the Government's view that the Parliament Acts would apply to the House of Lords Reform Bill itself, and the Bill provides that they will continue to apply following its enactment.

Monarchy: Succession

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last met representatives of the Roman Catholic Church to discuss reform of the Act of Settlement.

Mark Harper: Neither the Deputy Prime Minister nor I had any meetings with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church to discuss reform of the Act of Settlement. However, the previous Cabinet Secretary and other senior officials in Cabinet Office have discussed the matter with a range of interested parties including representatives of the Roman Catholic Church.

Monarchy: Succession

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent steps he has taken to reform the Act of Settlement.

Mark Harper: The Prime Minister announced in Perth, Australia in October last year that the 16 Commonwealth realms had agreed in principle that we should modernise the Act of Settlement with regard to the rules of royal succession—in particular, to end male primogeniture and the bar on the Monarch and those in the Line of Succession from marrying a Roman Catholic.
	We will bring forward UK legislation to give effect to changes to the rules of succession once we have secured the consent of the other Commonwealth realms. This work is being co-ordinated by the New Zealand Government with whom my officials are working very closely.

EDUCATION

Holiday Playschemes

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what budget his Department provided for holiday playschemes (a) nationwide and (b) in each local authority area in (i) music, (ii) sport, (iii) performing arts and (iv) total, in the school years (A) 2007-08, (B) 2008-09, (C) 2009-10, (D) 2010-11 and (E) 2011-12;
	(2)  how many children attended holiday playschemes (a) nationally and (b) in each local authority area in (i) music, (ii) sport, (iii) performing arts and (iv) in total in the school years (A) 2007-08, (B) 2008-09, (C) 2009-10, (D) 2010-11 and (E) 2011-12;
	(3)  how many hours of holiday playschemes were offered (a) nationally and (b) in each local authority area in (i) music, (ii) sport, (iii) performing arts and (iv) in total in the school years (A) 2007-08, (B) 2008-09, (C) 2009-10, (D) 2010-11 and (E) 2011-12.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 13 July 2012
	The Department for Education has not provided any direct funding for holiday playschemes during any of the years cited.
	In 2010-11 the Department made approximately £4 million available for 19 local authorities to take part in a one-year pilot to explore different approaches to developing and improving holiday child care provision.
	The Department does not collect information on the number of children who have attended holiday playschemes or how many hours were offered nationally or by local authority area. The Department's survey of child care providers showed that in 2010 there were 7,700 holiday clubs offering 349,400 places nationally.
	In September 2011, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that £50 million, from the Pupil Premium, has been made available to schools that have disadvantaged pupils moving into Year 7 to run a one week or two week summer school. Approximately 2,000 schools have signed up to take part in the programme and provisional pupil figures suggest around 65,000 disadvantaged pupils will benefit. Schools are free to structure the summer schools as they feel best but it is anticipated that music, sport and performing arts will feature in these programmes.
	The Prime Minister recently asked the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), and I to lead a Childcare Commission which will look at child care for the over-fives, particularly the wrap-around child care that many families need after school and in the holidays. The intention is to identify ways to enable parents and other volunteers to set up the schemes they want in their area; and to promote partnerships between schools and voluntary and private providers.

Young People: Drugs

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the relationship between accommodation status and substance abuse among under 18-year-olds.

Sarah Teather: The Government have supported a number of studies that look at the effects of substance misuse and the well-being of young people. However, none provide enough information on accommodation status to carry out an analysis of its relationship with substance misuse amongst young people.

DEFENCE

Scout Specialist Vehicle

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on the Scout specialist vehicle programme.

Peter Luff: The Scout specialist vehicle programme is currently in the Demonstration Phase. The first vehicle platform test rig was rolled out on 6 June 2012 and pre-production vehicle prototypes are due to begin delivery from 2013.

Budget Reductions: Local Economies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the effect of reductions in the defence budget on local economies.

Philip Hammond: Defence spending decisions are not made on the basis of their impact on specific regions, but rather in the interests of the defence of the whole of the United Kingdom. We do not make defence decisions to benefit one local economy or industry over another.

Armed Forces Presentations: Schools

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many presentations the armed forces delivered in secondary schools in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) the UK in the last year.

Andrew Robathan: In Northamptonshire in 2011 the Army delivered five presentations in schools and colleges, the Royal Navy delivered seven in secondary schools and the Royal Air Force did not give any presentations. In addition the three services held various other sessions on subjects ranging from personal development to fitness and science.
	Similar information for the whole of the UK is not held centrally and will take some time to collate.

Afghanistan

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on the security transition in Afghanistan.

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on the security transition in Afghanistan.

Nick Harvey: Transition of security to Afghan control, as agreed at the Lisbon conference in 2010, is on track and achievable by the end of 2014. In May the Afghan Government announced the third tranche of districts and provinces that will enter the process. This will see the Afghans take the lead for security in areas home to 75% of the population.
	By mid-2013, all parts of Afghanistan will have begun transition and the Afghan forces will be in the lead for security nationwide. This will mark an important milestone in the Lisbon road map. The progress of security transition is allowing ISAF gradually and responsibly to draw down its forces to complete its mission by 31 December 2014.

Discrimination: Armed Forces

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to tackle discrimination within the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: Discrimination within the armed forces is not tolerated at any level and service personnel are encouraged to report incidences whenever encountered. Once reported the complaint is investigated and dealt with through the chain of command. Commanding Officers have clear guidance on how to deal with such complaints.

Armed Forces

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to ensure that the balance between regular and reserve forces is maintained at an appropriate level.

Philip Hammond: The programme to implement Army 2020, and to enhance our reserve forces, will be closely monitored to ensure that it remains on track, and that projected manning levels are achieved. The work on reshaping the reserves will be aided by the independent scrutiny team which I announced on 5 July 2012, Official Report, columns 1085-88, to be led by retired Lieutenant General Robin Brims, who will make his first report in the summer of 2013.

Armed Forces: Gender Identity Disorder

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures his Department has put in place for members of the armed services who present with gender identity disorder.

Andrew Robathan: The armed forces do not accept any form of discrimination and have a clear policy for the recruitment and management of personnel with gender identity disorder (transsexuals). This policy was published in 2009 and is available to all military commanders and civilian staff who manage service personnel. Advice was sought from a:gender, the support network for staff in Government Departments and agencies who have permanently changed their perceived gender.

Armed Forces: Learning Disability

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policies and procedures his Department has put in place for members of the armed forces who present with learning difficulties.

Andrew Robathan: We take provision for service personnel with specific learning difficulties most seriously. Our policy aims to promote and provide systematic support to those personnel in the armed forces with identified needs to maximise their learning potential and training.
	The single services must provide support to those individuals who have voluntarily come forward or have been identified as possibly having specific learning difficulties needs. This support should be delivered irrespective of service, location or job responsibilities (subject to operational requirements).

Armed Forces: Mental Illness

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what treatment is provided before a medical discharge to a member of the armed forces diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Andrew Robathan: All personnel will be initially assessed and managed in Primary Care, and referred into specialist mental health care services where appropriate (which may include in-patient care in a bespoke NHS service contracted by Ministry of Defence).
	Our specialist mental health care services are centred round 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) across the UK (plus centres overseas). Personnel referred will be assessed by a mental health professional, which (depending on the referred problem) may be a mental health nurse, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or mental health social worker. Treatments available include medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotic medications and anxiolytic medications as well as psychotherapies (including simple supportive or problem-solving counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy and Motivational Interviewing).
	Recommendations for medical discharge will be made either because an individual's condition and/or their treatment makes them no longer able to fulfil their occupational role, or there is a residual vulnerability to relapse after their treatment that leaves them at too high a risk either to themselves or their unit for further service. There are a number of supports available to those leaving the service, both non-medical and medical. With respect to the latter, mental health social workers will support personnel going through their medical discharge and beyond, addressing issues such as housing, employment, benefits and transfer of care to the NHS.
	In addition, in accordance with a recommendation in the “Fighting Fit” report, which is by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr. Murrison), we have introduced a process whereby service personnel can now, where a course of treatment has already started, access mental health care at a DCMH for up to six months after they have left the service. My hon. Friend's report has also led to a number of other enhancements to the service provided for ex-service personnel with mental health disorders, to which discharged personnel will have access.

Armed Forces: Mental Illness

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been discharged with mental health conditions in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Robathan: The following table shows the number of naval service, Army and RAF personnel medically discharged with a principal cause of mental and behavioural disorder in each of the last 10 financial years.
	
		
			 Financial year Naval service (Royal Navy and Royal Marines) Army RAF 
			 2002-03 35 109 12 
			 2003-04 33 93 39 
			 2004-05 34 120 64 
			 2005-06 47 112 44 
			 2006-07 44 96 78 
			 2007-08 36 139 45 
			 2008-09 29 140 40 
			 2009-10 21 102 23 
			 2010-11 42 128 30 
			 2011-12 39 124 26 
			 Total 360 1,163 401 
		
	
	During the overall 10-year period, a further 231 personnel (36 naval service, 154 Army and 41 RAF) were medically discharged with a contributory (but not principal) cause of mental and behavioural disorder.

Army

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits to the Army there have been from each (a) region of England and (b) nation of the UK in each of the last 10 years; and what demographic projections his Department has made of the age cohort from which infantry recruits are drawn in each such region and nation.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 12 July 2012
	The following tables show the number of recruits to the regular Army from each region of England and nation of the UK in each of the past 10 years. Regional data for Army officers is only held from 2007-08. Figures have been rounded to 10 and those under five have not been included.
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Region Army officer Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 40 1,040 
			 South 110 470 
			 North East 90 1,740 
			 South East — 440 
			 North West 40 1,690 
		
	
	
		
			 Wessex 90 660 
			 East 90 1,610 
			 London 60 550 
			 England Total 520 8,200 
			    
			 Scotland 40 1,060 
			 Wales 20 730 
			 Northern Ireland 20 280 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Region Army officer Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 40 900 
			 South 110 390 
			 North East 80 1,550 
			 South East — 290 
			 North West 60 1,230 
			 Wessex 80 450 
			 East 70 1,010 
			 London 80 370 
			 England Total 520 6,190 
			    
			 Scotland 30 830 
			 Wales 30 470 
			 Northern Ireland 20 240 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 
			 Region Army officer Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 60 1,350 
			 South 80 580 
			 North East 90 2,150 
			 South East — 420 
			 North West 40 1,900 
			 Wessex 50 810 
			 East 60 1,930 
			 London 70 850 
			 England Total 450 9,990 
			    
			 Scotland 50 1,100 
			 Wales 20 870 
			 Northern Ireland 20 320 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 
			 Region Army officer Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 80 1,460 
			 South 100 630 
			 North East 60 2,100 
			 South East — 460 
			 North West 60 1,820 
			 Wessex 30 1,000 
			 East 50 1,940 
			 London 70 1,300 
			 England Total 450 10,710 
			    
			 Scotland 60 840 
			 Wales 10 920 
			 Northern Ireland 10 290 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 
			 Region Army officer Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 60 1,360 
			 South 60 550 
			 North East 10 1,950 
			 South East — 420 
		
	
	
		
			 North West 30 1,720 
			 Wessex 10 970 
			 East 60 1,650 
			 London 70 1,090 
			 England Total 300 9,710 
			    
			 Scotland 70 740 
			 Wales — 900 
			 Northern Ireland 10 260 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 
			 Region Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 1,210 
			 South 600 
			 North East 2,270 
			 South East 410 
			 North West 1,735 
			 Wessex 1,060 
			 East 1,810 
			 London 960 
			 England Total 10,055 
			   
			 Scotland 1,020 
			 Wales 980 
			 Northern Ireland 240 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 
			 Region Army Other Rank 
			 West Midlands 1,150 
			 South 500 
			 North East 1,920 
			 South East 400 
			 North West 1,780 
			 Wessex 890 
			 East 1,570 
			 London 1,030 
			 England Total 9,240 
			   
			 Scotland 1,080 
			 Wales 870 
			 Northern Ireland 210 
		
	
	
		
			 2004-05 
			 Region Army other rank 
			 West Midlands 1,000 
			 South 470 
			 North East 1,730 
			 South East 410 
			 North West 1,550 
			 Wessex 790 
			 East 1,380 
			 London 1,100 
			 England Total 8,430 
			   
			 Scotland 1,120 
			 Wales 670 
			 Northern Ireland 260 
		
	
	
		
			 2003-04 
			 Region Army other rank 
			 West Midlands ,1260 
			 South 620 
			 North East 2,400 
		
	
	
		
			 South East 470 
			 North West 1,920 
			 Wessex 1,000 
			 East 1,760 
			 London 1,480 
			 England Total 10,910 
			   
			 Scotland 1,490 
			 Wales 900 
			 Northern Ireland 310 
		
	
	
		
			 2002-03 
			 Region Army Other Rank 
			 West Midlands 1,330 
			 South 760 
			 North East 2,780 
			 South East 600 
			 North West 2,150 
			 Wessex 1,050 
			 East 1,800 
			 London 1,400 
			 England Total 11,870 
			   
			 Scotland 1,600 
			 Wales 920 
			 Northern Ireland 400 
		
	
	The Ministry of Defence has used data available from the Office of National Statistics projections for males within age range for recruiting to the infantry.

Artworks

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what artwork is currently displayed in the offices of each of the Ministers in his Department; and what the estimated cost is of each such artwork.

Andrew Robathan: Artworks and artefacts owned by the Ministry of Defence as items in the MOD Art Collection are classed as non-operational heritage assets in the MOD's Resource Accounts. The MOD collection is managed in line with professional guidelines as laid out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Government Art Collection (GAC).
	The following tables specify artwork and artefacts currently displayed in the offices of each Minister which are on loan from official collections and their purchase cost where known. In addition, Ministers might choose to display artworks that are their personal possessions.
	With the exception of the two items purchased in 2001 and 2003, the MOD Art Collection items listed entered the collection or its predecessor collections over many years. Where records exist, they show the items were either donated or transferred from the GAC.
	Some items in ministerial offices remain in place since the previous occupants. The following tables show items displayed in the offices and outer offices of current Ministers; similarly, items displayed in offices and outer offices of Ministers in post in April 2010 are shown in the following tables.
	Artwork and artefacts from official art collections which are currently displayed in the offices and outer offices are as follows:
	
		
			 Secretary of State for Defence—Office 
			 Item Artist/Maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Charles II Letters Patent Anon Print Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Winston Spencer Churchill Anon Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Terrestrial Globe Replogle Globes Reproduction Purchased for MOD Art Collection on 21 March 2003 at £2,250 MOD Art Collection 
			 A Naval Engagement Nicholas Pocock Painting Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1963 was £400 Government Art Collection 
			 A Mediterranean Seaport Dominic Serres Painting Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1962 was £185 Government Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Secretary of State for Defence—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Mediterranean Seascape Sketches in triplicate Rowland Langmaid Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 HM Custom House, 1941 Alistair Stewart Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister (Armed Forces)—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Army Scene Terence Cuneo Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Winston Churchill Anon Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Aerial view of the Western Front (No. l) William Wyllie Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Facsimile of Afghan Sketch No. 3 Matthew Cook Drawing Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Facsimile of Afghan Sketch No. 4 Matthew Cook Drawing Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Fleet at Anchor, Rosyth from Shore, 1917 Muirhead Bone Watercolour Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Co-belligerent Italian Submarine and other vessels from the Royal Yacht Club of Egypt, 21 February 1944 Rowland Langmaid Watercolour Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Letter by Nelson to Bickerton Lord Nelson Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Barograph Rototherm Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Bracket Clock Thomas Dutton Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Silver Cigar/Cigarette Box Anon Antique Information not held Royal Navy Trophy Centre 
		
	
	There are no items from official art collections displayed in the outer office of the Minister for the Armed Forces.
	
		
			 Minister (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology)—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Bracket Clock—Tempus Fugit J. J. Elliott Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Canadian Infantryman Augustus John Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Relief Globe Replogle Globes Reproduction Purchased for MOD Art Collection on 6 July 2001 at £750 MOD Art Collection 
			 Bomb Damage, Custom House Alistair Stewart Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Bomb Damage, Custom House William Hampton Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Interior, North Bastion, Tower of London, 1942 William Hampton Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 View of North Bastion, Tower of London Alistair Stewart Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	There are no items from official art collections displayed in the outer office of the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.
	
		
			 Minister (International Security Strategy)—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 HM Queen Elizabeth II Leonard Boden Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 The Thames from Somerset House Canaletto Reproduction Transferred from GAC to MOD MOD Art Collection 
			 Submarine on Patrol at Sunset Anon Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 HMS Vanguard Thomas Luny Painting Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Shadow of Myself Stefan Gzowski Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Bengal Light Cavalry R. Ackermann's Costumes of the Indian Army Print One of 221 items purchased in 1859 for £127.2s.2d. Prince Consort Library, Aldershot 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister (International Security Strategy)—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 The Death of Nelson Daniel Maclise Engraving Information not held MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans)—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 War Graves, Suda Bay, 2006 Brian Harris Photograph Donated MOD Art Collection 
			 Bracket Clock Robert Rentch Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Attack on Vanguard on the Spanish Armada 1588. Painted 1883 Sir Oswald Walters Brierly Engraving Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1964 was £3.00 Government Art Collection 
			 Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum (1850 to 1916) Sir Arthur Stockdale Cope Photogravure Cost when GAC originally acquired in 2002 was £100 Government Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister (Defence Personnel Welfare and Veterans)—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Bomb Disposal, Iraq Alix Baker Print Donated MOD Art Collection 
			 Eton College Canaletto Reproduction Transferred from GAC to MOD MOD Art Collection 
			 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) Field Marshal and Prime Minister Samuel Cousins after Sir Thomas Lawrence Mezzotint Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1951 was £4.20 Government Art Collection 
			 The Battle of the Nile fought 1 August 1798 James Fittler after Phillip James de Loutherbourg Engraving Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1952 was £2.70 Government Art Collection 
			 'Horatio Nelson', 1st Viscount Nelson (1758-1805) Vice- Admiral and Victor of Trafalgar Richard Earlom after Lemuel Francis Abbott Mezzotint Cost when GAC originally acquired in 1952 was £5.00 Government Art Collection 
		
	
	There are no items from official art collections displayed in the office or outer office of the Under-Secretary of State.
	Prior to the 2010 general election the following artwork and artefacts from official art collections were on display in Ministers' offices:
	
		
			 Secretary of State for Defence—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Lord Kitchener (picture) Anon Print Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Winston Spencer Churchill Anon Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Secretary of State for Defence—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Mediterranean Seascape Sketches in triplicate Rowland Langmaid Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 HM Custom House, 1941 Alistair Stewart Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister for Armed Forces—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Army Scene Terence Cuneo Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Winston Churchill Anon Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Co-belligerent Italian Submarine and other vessels from the Royal Yacht Club of Egypt, 21 February 1944 Rowland Langmaid Watercolour Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Sha Tau Kok Ken Howard Watercolour Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 'A' Flight No 6 Squadron, No. 12 Group RAF Harold Wyllie Print Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 WAAF Cleaning Spark Plugs Dorothy Coke Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 HMS Defence, after action against French Fleet Robert Dodd Print Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Letter by Nelson to Bickerton Lord Nelson Photograph Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Barograph Rototherm Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Bracket Clock Thomas Dutton Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Silver Cigar/Cigarette Box Anon Antique Information not held Royal Navy Trophy Centre 
		
	
	There were no items from official art collections displayed in the outer office of Minister for Armed Forces.
	
		
			 Minister for Defence Equipment and Support—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Bracket Clock-Tempus Fugit J. J. Elliott Reproduction Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Canadian Infantryman Augustus John Painting Donation MOD Art Collection 
			 Relief Globe Replogle Globes Reproduction Purchased for MOD Art Collection on 6 July 2001 at £750 MOD Art Collection 
			 WAAF Cleaning Spark Plugs Dorothy Coke Print Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Prospect of Westminster Anon Engraving Information not held MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	There were no items from official art collections displayed in the outer office of Minister for Defence Equipment and Support.
	
		
			 Minister for International Development and Security—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of Item 
			 The Thames from Somerset House Canaletto Reproduction Transferred from GAC to MOD MOD Art Collection 
			 HMS Vanguard Thomas Luny Painting Information not held MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister for International Development and Security—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 The Death of Nelson Daniel Maclise Engraving Information not held MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister for Veterans—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 War Graves, Suda Bay, 2006 Brian Harris Photograph Donated MOD Art Collection 
			 Bracket Clock Robert Rentch Antique Information not held MOD Art Collection 
			 Gunner Paul March (Canadian Forces) Henry Lamb Painting Information not held Government Art Collection 
			 A Merchantman at Catania Bernard Hailstone Painting Information not held Government Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister for Veterans—Outer Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Bomb Disposal, Iraq Alix Baker Print Donated MOD Art Collection 
			 Eton College Canaletto Reproduction Transferred from GAC to MOD MOD Art Collection 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform—Office 
			 Item Artist/maker Item type Original cost Source of item 
			 Outpost 4/5 Anne Hardy Photograph Cost when GAC originally acquired in 2008 was £5,875 Government Art Collection 
		
	
	There were no items from official art collections displayed in the outer office of Minister for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform.
	There were no items from official art collections displayed in the office or outer office of the Under-Secretary of State.

Defence

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the expected overall change in defence spending during the present Parliament.

Philip Hammond: Estimates regarding Defence Spending during the present Parliament were set out in the 2010 spending review, the 2011 autumn statement and the 2012 Budget, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Defence Equipment

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2012, Official Report, columns 1041-2W, on defence equipment, in which month each item subsequently recovered was lost or stolen; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The following table refers to when the items were reported as stolen. These cases were closed in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12 when the items were found or recovered.
	No data are held on the actual date the equipment was lost or stolen.
	
		
			 Date suspicion was reported Items Estimated offence value (£) Outcome 
			 12 February 2010 Military ceremonial kit (1 x sword ORs; 1 x scabbard ORs; 1 x belt waist; 1 x sling sword; 1 x sling; 1 x lining; 1 x sword knot) 398.00 All items except sword recovered 
			     
			 25 November 2009 Fuel 480.00 Monies recovered 
			     
			 7 June 2010 Laptop computer 2,400.00 No crime. Item found 
			     
			 3 November 2009 Pyrotechnics 15.00 Items were recovered 
			     
			 5 May 2010 TV viewing cards (1)— All items recovered 
			     
			 6 July 2010 4 x full size goal posts; 2 x small size goalposts 6,000.00 No crime. Items recovered 
			     
			     
			 9 February 2010 Flight deck helmet, goggles and ear defenders 101.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 13 January 2009 Body armour and plates 1,385.00 No crime. Items recovered 
			     
			 30 June 2010 Medical daysack 500.00 No crime. Item found 
			     
			 15 June 2010 Head stall, bosses, sircingles, brite chain, bit banbury and drum horse girth 1,258.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 8 September 2010 Military daysack, green overalls, beret 32.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 24 March 2010 Steel hoist; petrol mower; 3 x boxes chemical light sticks 1,130.00 One item recovered 
			     
			 2 august 2010 Cash 494.00 Money was returned to account 
			     
			 8 October 2010 Silver plated cutlery 7,219.00 No crime. Item found 
			     
			 12 November 2008 Various military clothing and equipment (1)— £6,600 recovered 
			     
			 31 January 2011 Landrover 7,500.00 Item found 
			     
			 22 March 2011 Head mounted night vision system 4,439.00 No crime. Item recovered 
			     
			 26 October 2010 Gortex clothing; bowman radio equipment 500.00 2 radios recovered 
			     
			 2 February 2011 MOD equipment 15.00 Closed—some items recovered 
			     
			 6 July 2011 Antenna; filters; headset 1,626.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 13 June 2011 Camera 350.00 No crime. Item found 
			     
			 28 July 2011 Foul weather jacket; daysack 80.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 8 March 2011 Smoke grenade 9.00 Item recovered 
			     
			 2 August 2011 Expandable barrier for traffic control 250.00 No crime. Item found 
		
	
	
		
			     
			 16 August 2011 1 x rescue and salvage hydraulic kit; 2 x endless sling; 2 x strop; 1 x steel chest tool; 2 x vehicle mechanic toolkit chest; 1 x complete vehicle mechanic toolkit 34,343.11 Unsolved. One item recovered 
			     
			 20 August 2010 Mk 7 Kevlar helmet 250.00 Recovered 
			     
			 22 September2011 Dinghy 1,100.00 Solved—item destroyed, not stolen 
			     
			 16 September2011 Goal posts 150.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 12 September 011 Antifreeze 10.00 Item recovered 
			     
			 5 December 2011 2 x head mounted night vision systems 7,998.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 16 June 2011 1 x night vision goggles 4,430.00 No crime. Item recovered 
			     
			 31 May 2011 1 x night vision goggles 3,000.00 No crime. Item returned 
			     
			 14 October 2008 Computer 200.00 Item recovered 
			     
			 7 November 2011 1 x coat; 1 x tie; 1 x gloves 100.00 No crime. Items found 
			     
			 6 October 2011 Various electronic equipment 5,507.90 Some items recovered 
			     
			 24 January 2011 7 x drill rifles 392.00 Some items recovered 
			 (1) Value not recorded 
		
	
	The Ministry of Defence is developing initiatives to better understand the risks of fraud including theft, irregularity, corruption and bribery, and to enhance existing mechanisms aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to fraud.

Electronic Warfare

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civilian and (b) military electronic warfare specialists are employed in the (i) RAF, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) Army; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The number of military electronic warfare specialists employed in the armed forces as at 1 May 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Royal Navy 420 
			 Army 510 
			 RAF 1,110 
		
	
	Civilians do not fulfil this function in the armed forces.

Horses

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of feeding, watering and maintaining the ceremonial horses used by his Department was in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 July 2012
	Information on the costs of maintaining ceremonial horses is not held centrally in the format requested.
	However, the cost of feeding and bedding of ceremonial horses for the last financial year (1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012) was assessed to be around £1.2 million.

Nuclear Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Rolls-Royce on its facilities being developed as part of the refurbishment of its Raynesway plant that are specific for the PWR3 reactor for the Trident replacement submarines.

Philip Hammond: Ministers meet with a range of defence contractors, including Rolls-Royce, to discuss a wide range of issues. Details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, including companies from the defence sector, are published in the Ministry of Defence's quarterly transparency returns as required by the Government's Transparency Agenda. The following website address provides the latest published returns:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/Expenses/MinistersHospitalityReceived.htm
	Copies of the relevant returns will be placed in the Library of the House. Meetings during the period January to March 2012 will be published in due course.
	I am withholding further details of the discussions with Rolls-Royce, as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the French Ministry of Defence on the possible location of UK nuclear weapons in French bases or use of French facilities in the future.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 12 July 2012
	Officials in the Ministry of Defence have had no discussions with colleagues in the French Ministry of Defence on the possible location of UK nuclear weapons in French bases.
	The Teutates Treaty of 2010 enables the construction and use of shared UK-French facilities at Valduc in France. The treaty allows experiments supporting the performance and safety of our nuclear deterrent, although there will be no physical movement of warheads between the two nations and each country will retain sovereignty over its own experiments and data.

Prime Regional Contract

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the total value of the Prime Regional Contract for Scotland and Northern Ireland;
	(2)  when the winner of the Prime Regional Contract for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be announced;
	(3)  what the duration is of the Prime Regional Contract for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: The Regional Prime Contract for Scotland and Northern Ireland is due to be awarded in January 2014 and will run for an initial five years, with the option to extend it by up to a further five.
	While it is estimated to be between £200 million and £350 million in value over the initial five years, this is subject to basing, future funding levels, and decisions as to whether some current in-house activities are outsourced.

Reserve Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reserves his Department plans to recruit in each calendar year until 2020.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 12 July 2012
	Target figures for each of the three services are provided in the following table. However, it should be noted that future years figures for all three services will be dependent upon recruitment and retention success as the implementation phase of Future Reserves 2020 matures.
	
		
			 Tri-service reserve recruiting targets 
			 Service 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 
			 RN         
			 Reserves 671 676 659 708 708 707 565 817 
			          
			 Army         
			 TA 6,424 9,346 10,223 10,221 9,311 6,823 6,823 6,823 
			          
			 RAF         
			 Reserves 720 720 720 720 720 720 720 720 
			          
			 Defence total 7,815 10,742 11,602 11,649 10,739 8,250 8,108 8,360

Reserve Forces

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the wider economic effect on his reforms to the reservists.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 July 2012
	Research concluded in 2010 confirmed the benefits of Reserve service to the UK workforce, with over 80% of Reservist employers recognising the benefits of transferable skills gained from Reserve service.

Reserve Forces

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse will be of his Department's consultation on the effect of his reform of the reserve forces.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 July 2012
	Detailed work is under way to define the parameters for the consultation, so it is too early to estimate the cost.

Reserve Forces

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people the Territorial Army recruited in the last two years; and what the recruitment targets were for each of these years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 July 2012
	For the number of people the Territorial Army recruited in the last two years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 442W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) when the total intake for the Territorial Army in 2010-11 and 2011-12 was given as 3,840 and 4,240 respectively.
	Recruitment targets for the Territorial Army were not set prior to 2012-13.

Reserve Forces

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates his Department has made of the number of recruits to the Territorial Army in each year up to 2020.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 July 2012
	As part of bringing the selection process for the Territorial Army into line with the Regular Army, annual recruitment targets for the Territorial Army are now being set. These will be reviewed and adapted as necessary, in response to changing requirements, but the current recruitment targets for 2012 to 2020 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year TA Officers TA Other Rank 
			 2012-13 409 6,015 
			 2013-14 739 8,607 
			 2014-15 1,261 8,962 
			 2015-16 1,259 8,962 
			 2016-17 1,259 8,052 
			 2017-18 789 6,034 
			 2018-19 789 6,034 
			 2019-20 789 6,034

Royal Regiment of Scotland

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) full strength number and (b) number of personnel serving is of each battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland; and how many personnel in each battalion had an address at the time of recruitment in (i) their traditional recruitment area, (ii) elsewhere in Scotland, (iii) England, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland, (vi) the Irish Republic and (vii) elsewhere.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 12 July 2012
	Decisions taken in Army 2020 were based upon a range of factors not just recruitment. Manning levels and recruitment over 10 years was taken into account, not just a snapshot.
	The establishment (full strength required) and actual number of personnel in each battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland as at April 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Established strength Actual strength Difference 
			 1(st) Battalion 535 517 -18 
			 2(nd) Battalion 528 448 -80 
			 3(rd) Battalion 537 520 -17 
			 4(th) Battalion 608 460 -148 
			 5(th) Battalion 556 465 -91 
		
	
	Data relating to the addresses of individuals at the time of their recruitment are not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department were in the Civil Service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Andrew Robathan: On 30 June 2012 there were 1,012 members of staff in the Ministry of Defence's redeployment pool; of these 437 have been in the pool for more than six months. This is a reduction since December 2011 when the figures were 1,540 and 790, respectively. Staff in the redeployment pool are actively assisted to find new posts, although factors such as geographical location can make this more difficult. This can affect the ability of surplus staff from finding other jobs within commuting distance. While in the redeployment pool, staff are gainfully employed, contributing to Defence outputs including support to operations and other key Defence priorities.

Veterans: Employment Schemes

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to improve the employment opportunities of veterans.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies).

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the monetary value of exemptions from air passenger duty for destinations in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how much air passenger duty was paid in respect of flights arriving at airports in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last three years;
	(3)  whether he plans to review military exemptions from air passenger duty;
	(4)  what representations he has received from the airline industry on the proposed replacement of air passenger duty;
	(5)  whether his Department plans to introduce a per plane tax on cargo flights between destinations in the Highlands and Islands.

Chloe Smith: No estimate of the monetary value of exemptions from air passenger duty (APD) for destinations in the Highlands and Islands is available.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect information on the contribution to APD revenues made from flights to specific airports.
	The Government have no plans to review military exemptions from air passenger duty.
	The Government received over 500 responses to last year's consultation into air passenger duty, including responses from the vast majority of airlines. The Government's response, published on 6 December 2011, can be found online here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm
	In respect of a per-plane basis for APD I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Nadine Dorries) on 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 244W.

Air Passenger Duty: International Cooperation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with international partners to build consensus for a per-plane duty since the 2011 Budget;
	(2)  what progress he has made on the commitment within the 2011 Budget to start a programme of intensive work with international partners to build consensus for a per-plane duty; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 13 July 2012
	In line with the coalition agreement, this issue has been raised with our international partners at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with a view to building the necessary consensus for a per-plane duty. We are also seeking opportunities to raise the issue in other international forums.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury has not leased and sold back any assets in the last 12 months.

Child Trust Fund

James Wharton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for St Helens South and Whiston (Mr Woodward) of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 245W, on child trust funds, by what means his Department assessed the benefit to holders of child trust funds of conversion to junior individual savings accounts.

Mark Hoban: In my answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 245W, I explained that the Government did not believe that the majority of children with a child trust fund (CTF) would benefit from a change in the rules at the present time.
	In assessing the need for any change in this area, the Government have taken account of the interests of CTF account holders. The majority—around 78%—of CTFs are stakeholder accounts. This is a type of stocks and shares account in which there is greater regulation of investment management, and in which account charges are capped. These rules reflect the universal nature of the CTF product, compared to the optional nature of junior ISA. There is no equivalent in the rules governing the features of junior ISA accounts, so many children with a CTF stakeholder account could see their terms and conditions changed significantly as a result of any conversion.

Commodity Markets

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution of excessive financial participation in the commodity derivative markets to commodity price volatility.

Mark Hoban: Consistent with the 2011 report of the G20 Commodity Study Group, it is clear that marked shifts in the physical supply-demand balance for major commodities, together with ad hoc trade restrictions, have been the main drivers of the price fluctuations over the past 10 years.
	On balance, the Government are sceptical about the degree to which speculation has played a significant causal role in recent commodity price spikes. The Government continues to monitor relevant research in this area with interest.

Commodity Markets

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential for a conflict of interest to arise for exchanges implementing position management measures whose revenue is generated through the trading they host.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) requires Recognised Investment Exchanges (‘Exchanges’) to meet a number of statutory requirements, including but not restricted to: provisions relating to the fair and orderly running of their markets, and the quality of those markets; the prevention and detection of market abuse (including actions to manage large market positions); and the establishment of appropriate arrangements to identify and manage conflicts between the interests of the Exchange and, among others, the interests of the financial markets it operates.
	This is all done under the overall supervision of the FSA. In practice, this means that Exchanges must satisfy the FSA—both during specific reviews and on an ongoing basis—that they have satisfactory real-time and post-trade market-monitoring functions, and that conflicts between the Exchange’s commercial interests and its obligations to run clean, fair and orderly markets and identified and appropriately managed.

Debts

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of unsecured debt owed by individuals in each income decile in each year since 1997.

Chloe Smith: According to the Bank of England, the stock of unsecured household debt was £207 billion at the end of May 2012. Estimates from 1993 are available via the Bank of England website. Estimates of debt by income deciles are not available.

Ex Gratia Payments

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the monetary value of ex-gratia payments made through schemes administered by his Department over the last two years.

Chloe Smith: Ex-gratia payments totalling £71,000 were made in 2010-11 and £84,000 in 2011-12. In addition, details of payments made under the Equitable Life Payments Scheme in 2011-12 are shown in the Annual Report and Accounts for 2011-12 available from the Department's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm

Financial Services Authority

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that consumers and other public interest groups are adequately represented on the board and committees of the bodies that replace the Financial Services Authority.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will in future be responsible for the regulation of business conduct and the protection of consumers in the financial services sector. As the expert conduct regulator, it will advise the Prudential Regulation Authority on consumer issues where necessary.
	The board of the FCA will need a balance of skills and experience appropriate to its responsibilities. However, the FCA will be an independent regulator and the members of its board will not be appointed in the capacity of representatives of consumers or firms.
	Instead the FCA will be required maintain a number of panels to provide a forum for consultation of representatives of financial services consumers and firms, similar to those currently maintained by the FCA. This will include the requirement to maintain a consumer panel to represent the interests of consumers.

Financial Services Authority

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that the bodies that replace the Financial Services Authority take into account the effects of the activities of the financial services sector on consumers within and outside the UK.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is being set up as a tough new conduct of business regulator, responsible for policing the conduct of all firms as they operate in the UK, and protecting consumers. The FCA will have operational objectives to secure an appropriate degree of consumer protection and promote effective competition that is in the interest of consumers. It will focus on preventing financial firms causing consumer detriment and will take a proactive approach, using its judgment to intervene earlier in order to prevent consumer detriment.

Financial Services Authority

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will carry out a review of the (a) independence and (b) transparency of the Financial Services Authority in respect of its (i) governance and (ii) advocacy and lobbying activities; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government have no plans to carry out a review of the independence and transparency of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA Annual Report 2011-12 contains details of the FSA's governance arrangements, including how the FSA complies with the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) and the UK Corporate Governance Code.
	The FSA Business Plan 2012-13 states that the FSA attempts to influence the international and European policy agenda for the benefit of the United Kingdom. This is in accordance with section 2 of FSMA which requires the FSA to have regard to the competitive position of the United Kingdom.

Public Sector Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received the report on market facing pay requested on 7 December 2011 from (a) the Prison Officers Pay Review Body, (b) the School Teachers Pay Review Body, (c) the NHS Pay Review Body and (d) the Senior Salaries Review Body; when he expects to receive those reports he has not yet received; and when he plans to publish each such report.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 12 July 2012
	The Government has received the report on market facing pay from the NHS Pay Review Body and expects the other review bodies to report back from July onwards.
	The Government intend to publish these reports and respond to their recommendations when the House returns.

Public Expenditure

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects his Department to underspend its budget for 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of any such underspend.

Chloe Smith: The Government publish the full detail of plans and outturn for all Departments after the end of the financial year, usually in September.
	HM Treasury publishes outturn data for all Departments from the COINS database, available on the Department's website on a quarterly basis. Forecasts for 2012-13 outturn by Department will be published at Budget 2013.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast underspends in departmental expenditure limits as part of their Economic and Fiscal Outlook in the autumn.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers have had their details passed to debt collectors by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in pursuit of underpaid tax as a result of miscalculations of tax liability made by HMRC in the PAYE system in the last two years.

David Gauke: HMRC recovered the majority of PAYE underpayments arising in the last two years by adjusting people's tax code or through a voluntary arrangement with the customer to pay the amount due over a period of time.
	Where that was not possible the amounts owed by individuals were moved to their self assessment record. These underpayments will now be pursued by HMRC in line with any other outstanding sums due under self- assessment. Where contact is made with the customer during the recovery process the options to include the amount in a tax code or agree payments over a period of time to clear the debt will continue to be offered.
	To date, while the processes for recovery of amounts owed under self assessment includes referring some debts to debt collection agencies, none of the debts relating to PAYE amounts owed that are now on the self- assessment record have been referred to a debt collection agency.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1193W.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use HM Revenue and Customs makes of credit reference agencies and data-matching services to identify fraud.

David Gauke: HMRC continues to explore the benefit of further harnessing the expertise of credit reference agencies and data-matching services to help identify fraud.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1192W.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals appealed against demands for repayment of underpaid tax as a result of miscalculations of tax liability made by HM Revenue and Customs in the PAYE system in the last two years; and how many such appeals were successful.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1192W, in response to a similar question.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals against tax liability calculations by HM Revenue and Customs were upheld in each month of the last two years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals liable for underpaid tax as a result of miscalculations of tax liability made by HM Revenue and Customs in the PAYE system in the last two years are over the pension age.

David Gauke: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals against tax demands by HM Revenue and Customs were (a) received and (b) upheld under extra-statutory concession A19 in each month of the last two years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available. Details of total tax not collected because of extra-statutory concession A19 are included as part of the total revenue loss figures within the Board of HMRC Annual Reports. These are published and are available in the House of Commons Library.
	HMRC supplied details of extra-statutory concession activity to the National Audit Office for the HMRC annual accounts, 2011-12. These reports were recently published and figures covering the period September 2010 to 31 March 2012 are held at paragraph 2.11 of that report. Information is available at:
	www.nao.org.uk

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Bob Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for callers to HM Revenue and Customs telephone lines.

David Gauke: I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Cathy Jamieson) on 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 301W.

VAT: Energy

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the revenue which accrued to the Exchequer from VAT on domestic energy as a result of increases in fuel prices in each year since 2007;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of VAT yields from domestic fuel bills for 2012-13.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made of the impact on VAT of increased fuel prices for the period since 2007. No estimate of the VAT payable in 2012-13 on domestic fuel has yet been made.

VAT: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax was paid by charities located in Scotland in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: This information is not available. Charities cannot be identified in the VAT information held by HMRC.

VAT: Sports

Clive Efford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consultation he has held on his plans to charge VAT on the letting of all-weather sports facilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he intends to backdate VAT on income from the letting of all-weather sports facilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the annual income to the Exchequer from VAT on lettings of all-weather sports facilities; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: There are no plans to change the VAT treatment of the letting of all-weather sports facilities (including soccer pitches).
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' view is that the provision of sports league services is liable to VAT at the standard rate. As a number of providers have been treating these supplies as exempt from VAT, HMRC issued further guidance in February 2011 confirming their view that the provision of sports league services is liable to VAT.
	No estimate has been made of the annual income to the Exchequer from VAT on lettings of all-weather sports facilities.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change and Renewable Energy

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss (a) climate change and (b) the development of renewable energy in Northern Ireland.

Gregory Barker: The Minister of State for Energy, my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), met Arlene Foster in Belfast in April this year. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), met the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Minister of the Environment at the British-Irish Council summit in Stirling last month.

Electricity

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the role of independently-owned electricity generation in improving liquidity in the wholesale power market as part of the electricity market reform process.

Charles Hendry: Poor liquidity is a barrier to entry in the GB wholesale power market. This is especially acute in the forward markets. Independent power companies are likely to have stronger incentives to trade than their vertically integrated counterparts and therefore contribute to market liquidity. It is important, however, that all market participants play a part in ensuring competitive and transparent markets.
	In the past 12 months we have seen some positive steps being taken. Nearly 30% of GB power consumption was traded through the day ahead exchange auctions last month representing a sevenfold year on year increase in traded volumes.
	However there is still much more to do and we want to see industry and Ofgem go further to address liquidity especially in the forward markets. Ofgem have just finished consulting on a proposal to improve forward market liquidity—we agree with their objectives and hope to see a workable proposal taken forward.
	We will act where necessary to introduce reforms where the structural barriers to market entry are not addressed through the actions taken by Ofgem and industry.

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment his Department has made of the importance of fixed power purchase agreements to distributed electricity generators.

Charles Hendry: Independent developers, including distributed electricity generators, have said it has become harder to agree a power purchase agreement (PPA) on bankable terms. The Department issued a call for evidence on 5 July 2012 to seek views on the issues in order to ensure that the extent and nature of any problem are fully understood:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/call_ren_inves/call_ren_inves.aspx
	Our assessment is that most independent renewable generation investments rely on power purchase agreements in order to secure finance. Lenders need to be assured that key risks are effectively managed. A competitive PPA market is therefore likely to be important to independent developers including those investing in distributed generation projects.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 187W, on energy, how many consumers switched supplier in quarter one of 2012.

Gregory Barker: According to the DECC Quarterly Energy Publication—June 2012, the total number of switches in quarter one of 2012 was 746,000 for electricity and 533,000 for gas. This figure may include some customers who have switched more than once in this period.

Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on (a) bioenergy, (b) coal, (c) combined heat and power, (d) district heating, (e) geothermal, (f) heat, (g) hydro-electricity, (h) hydrogen and fuel cells, (i) microgeneration, (j) nuclear, (k) oil and gas, (l) wave and tidal, (m) offshore wind and (n) onshore wind in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2010, (v) 2011 and (vi) 2012 to date.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate change does not record its expenditure according to the categories tabled in the question. It would incur disproportionate costs to analyse and summarise information under these headings. The Department was created in October 2008 and information prior to that date is not available. Information about DECC's expenditure can be found in its departmental annual accounts which specifically identify nuclear and coal related costs.
	Accounts are available for the financial year 2008-09 on the National Archives website:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc04/0452/0452.pdf
	Accounts are available for the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 on DECC's website.
	2009-10
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Annual%20Reports%20 Accounts%20and%20Business%20Plans/2010/218-decc-resource-2009-10.pdf
	2010/11
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/goals-commitments/2212-decc-annual-report-20102011.pdf
	2011/12
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/goals-commitments/5718-decc-annual-report-and-accounts-201112-.pdf
	DECC has published details of transactions over £500 including information on expense types, supplier and the part of DECC responsible for the transaction on a monthly basis since April 2010:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/expenditure/spend_over_500/spend_over_500.aspx

Energy Performance Certificates

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on making Display Energy Certificates mandatory for commercial buildings.

Gregory Barker: The EU Energy Efficiency Directive was agreed by member states in June. Article 7 of this directive mandates energy audits for non-SME companies. We will consider the role of Display Energy Certificates for commercial buildings when planning our implementation of this requirement.

Energy: Conservation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many community energy saving programme projects work has begun but will not be completed until after 1 January 2013.

Gregory Barker: Ofgem is the legally appointed administrator for the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and as such is responsible for the administration, monitoring and enforcement of the scheme.
	Companies with an obligation under CESP have until 31 January 2013 to notify Ofgem of qualifying actions completed under the scheme and therefore what work has been completed under CESP will not be known until after this date.

Energy: Housing

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what modelling his Department has undertaken to determine the total amount energy companies would be required to spend to meet their targets under the Energy Company Obligation if no Green Deal finance were used to meet the cost of any installations.

Gregory Barker: The final Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation impact Assessment available here:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
	models a range of scenarios and sensitivities for the costs of delivering the Energy Company Obligation. These reflect different assumptions on a range of factors which could materially affect the costs of delivering the obligations for example, energy prices, the level of consumer demand, potential Green Deal interest rates, and a number of other variables. One of these scenarios illustrates the uncertainty around how attractive the Green Deal will be to different households, and assesses the impact if smaller amounts of Green Deal finance were used than under the central scenario.

Energy: Prices

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what monitoring the Government is conducting of the effects on (a) payment method preference, (b) levels of debt and (c) levels of disconnections of domestic energy consumers of (i) recent and (ii) anticipated increases in energy prices; and what funds the Government has allocated to the provision of energy efficiency advice and information to domestic energy consumers.

Gregory Barker: Ofgem monitors and publishes information on payment methods, levels of debt and disconnections of domestic energy consumers in its Social Obligations Annual Reports:
	www.ofgem.gov.uk/sustainability
	The Government's Energy Saving Advice Service, which provides advice to both domestic and non domestic customers on energy efficiency, was launched in April 2012. The service has a maximum total value of £13 million over the three years of the contract.

Ex Gratia Payments

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the monetary value of ex gratia payments made through schemes administered by his Department over the last two years.

Gregory Barker: Ex gratia payments are disclosed in note 29 to the Department's 2011-12 annual accounts on page 183 in the “extra contractual payments” line. The accounts can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/our_goals/annual_reports/annual_reports.aspx

Fuel Poverty

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland living in fuel poverty in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many low income households with children are classified as living in fuel poverty in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland;
	(3)  how many pensioner households are classified as living in fuel poverty in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland;
	(4)  how many households with individuals registered as disabled are classified as living in fuel poverty in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is a devolved measurement and each country of the UK is responsible for measuring the number of fuel poor households in their own country.
	The following table shows the number of fuel poor households (in thousands) in each year since 2005 for which they have been measured.
	
		
			  Number of households in fuel poverty (thousand) 
			 England  
			 2010 3,536 
			 2009 3,964 
			 2008 3,335 
			 2007 2,823 
		
	
	
		
			 2006 2,432 
			   
			 Scotland  
			 2010 658 
			 2009 766 
			 2008 618 
			 2007 586 
			 2006 543 
			   
			 Wales  
			 2010 (1)332 
			 2009 (1)368 
			 2008 332 
			 2007 (1)276 
		
	
	
		
			 2006 (1)243 
			   
			 Northern Ireland  
			 2010 (1)297 
			 2009 302 
			 2008 (1)301 
			 2007 (1)256 
			 2006 226 
		
	
	2011 fuel poverty figures for England will be published in July 2013. Figures for Wales and Northern Ireland are not produced every year.
	Detailed numbers of fuel poor households shown in answer to other questions are derived from the most recent data available in each country.
	
		
			 Number of households in fuel poverty 
			     Thousand 
			   Low income households with children in fuel poverty Pensioner households in fuel poverty Households living in fuel poverty containing somebody that is disabled 
			 England 2010 259 1,886 1,290 
			 Scotland 2010 46 402 296 
			 Wales 2008 29 183 160 
			 Northern Ireland 2009 n/a 153 139 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	It is not possible to perfectly identify which households contain ‘pensioners’ so age thresholds (those aged 60 and over) have been used. Similarly, for income, the lowest three income decile groups tend to be associated with low income, and hence have been chosen to answer the question on low incomes. Disability is classified alongside where somebody in the household has a long-term illness and cannot be separated.

Fuel Poverty: Merseyside

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of fuel poverty in St Helens South and Whiston constituency.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and supporting low income and vulnerable consumers to heat their homes at an affordable cost.
	We continue to fund the Warm Front scheme, providing low income vulnerable households, living in energy inefficient properties, with a range of energy efficient heating and insulation measures. Since 2010, when the constituency was formed, Warm Front has assisted 511 households in St Helen's and Whiston. Between 2005 and 2010, Warm Front assisted 4,387 households in the now defunct constituency of St Helen's. Since the start of the scheme in June 2000 the scheme has assisted 2.3 million households across England.
	In winter 2011-12, the Warm Home Discount scheme provided energy supplier funded discounts to around 700,000 of the poorest pensioners across Great Britain with a Core Group discount of £120 off electricity bills. Nearly 600,000 of these customers received the discount without having to claim, as a result of data matching between Government and energy suppliers. This is a significant benefit for a group which may struggle to claim. Other low income vulnerable households may also be assisted through the scheme. Overall we expect 2 million low income vulnerable households a year to be assisted through the Warm Home Discount scheme.
	We recently published the consultation response regarding the new Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which will be our flagship policy for improving the energy efficiency of the nation's housing stock. Due to launch in October 2012, ECO will run alongside the Green Deal and will have twin objectives to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. ECO requires energy suppliers to help households access more expensive insulation measures such as solid wall and hard-to-treat cavity wall insulation through the Green Deal and to provide measures to low income and vulnerable households to help reduce the costs of staying warm and healthy. Through ECO around £540 million will be spent annually by suppliers to assist low income households and low income areas.
	In addition, the Government provides pensioner households with winter fuel payments to help with additional heating costs during the winter. Cold weather payments are also made to low income and vulnerable households where there is an average temperature of 0° C or below for seven consecutive days. These payments have been permanently increased to £25 per week and in winter 2011-12 over 5 million cold weather payments were paid in Great Britain worth an estimated £129 million.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department has made on the establishment of the Green Deal for the non-domestic sector.

Gregory Barker: The Department is progressing the non-domestic Green Deal in parallel with the domestic green deal; the legislation covers both, so consumers will be ready to complete both domestic and non-domestic Green Deal plans at the end of January when the relevant parts of the framework regulations come into effect.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Renewable Heat Incentive and feed-in tariffs may be used in conjunction with Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: We are considering the position on whether Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) or Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments can be claimed if the customer also has Green Deal finance. Our ambition is that in future it should be possible for consumers to receive both Green Deal finance and RHI or FIT payments. However, this cannot be confirmed until we have done further work to ensure that there would not be inappropriate double subsidy.
	We aim to finalise the policy position on this issue by the autumn.
	It will not be possible to include expected FITs or RHI payments in the Golden Rule calculation for Green Deal Finance. Savings estimates on which Green Deal finance is calculated must be based on the performance of measures in terms of avoided home energy use, not potential future returns on investment.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with the insurance sector on the prospects for insurance providers offering 25 year warranties to cover measures installed as part of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: As part of the normal policy development process, we have been engaging with a number of stakeholders in the insurance sector. These discussions have included the issue of covering some measures for 25 years.

Internet

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to create a myth buster section on its website similar to that of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Gregory Barker: There are no plans to create a myth buster section on the DECC website, though we routinely use our website and social media channels to correct errors and misconceptions.

Microgeneration: Merseyside

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many residents of St Helens South and Whiston constituency participate in the feed-in tariff scheme for home electricity generation.

Gregory Barker: The latest published statistics show that, at the end of the first quarter of 2012 (ending March 2012), 158 domestic installations in the St Helens South and Whitson constituency had been confirmed on the feed-in tariff scheme since it began in April 2010. Some 99% (157) of these were installations of solar photovoltaics, with Micro CHP installations representing the remaining 1%.
	The statistics to the end of the second quarter of 2012 (ending June 2012) showing the number of installations by constituency will be published at 09.30 on Tuesday 24 July 2012.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the finding of the International Energy Agency report on shale gas published on 29 May 2012 that under both potential scenarios for the exploitation of shale gas, emissions are well above the trajectory required to reach the globally agreed goal of limiting the temperature rise to 2°C; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Provided methane emissions to atmosphere are minimised by use of appropriate controls and technologies, and are estimated and included in national greenhouse gas inventories, from a climate perspective, increased use of shale gas globally should be cautiously welcomed. This is because it can reduce emissions where it displaces coal generation, and where it does not lead to a weakening of policy support and investment in renewables and nuclear.
	While shale gas will not be enough by itself to put the world on a 2°C trajectory, as recognised by the International Energy Agency report, it could make a significant difference to global emissions—and it could be combined with carbon capture and storage, a scenario not considered by the International Energy Agency.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark of 24 November 2010, Official Report, column 351W, on nuclear power stations: construction, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) EDF energy, (c) other private companies and (d) his French counterpart on the provision of loan guarantees in relation to the construction of new nuclear power stations; whether loan guarantees constitute a public subsidy; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Charles Hendry: According to our records no meeting has occurred between the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), EDF Energy, other private companies or his French counterparts on the provision of loan guarantees in relation to the construction of new nuclear power stations.
	The Government policy on public subsidy was set out in a written ministerial statement on 18 October 2010, Official Report, columns 42-46WS.

Public Expenditure

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget was for each of his Department's agencies in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 12 July 2012
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not have any Executive agencies. DECC has responsibility for four Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). These are the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, the Committee on Climate Change, the Coal Authority and the Civil Nuclear Police Authority. Details of the Executive bodies' budgets can be found at the following links:
	2010-11 budget:
	Spring Supplementary Estimates 2010-11 (Section 2 “Notes to the Estimate”, page 424):
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1011/hc07/0790/0790.pdf
	2011-12 budget:
	Supplementary Estimates 2011-12 (page 408 “Part II Changes Proposed” to 411 and 417 “Part III Note E non-Departmental Public Bodies”):
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc17/1755/1755.pdf
	2012-13 budget
	The Main Estimates 2012-13 (Sections 4 “Detailed Breakdown of DEL Provision,” 7 “Nuclear Decommissioning Agency,” 8 - “Annually Managed Expenditure - Civil Nuclear Police Authority, Coal Authority, Committee on Climate Change and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority” and Annex A):
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenergy/writev/estimates/memodecc2012.htm

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for planning consents for renewable energy developments each local planning authority (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected in each of the last 10 years.

Charles Hendry: A copy of this information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to increase the proportion of renewable energy generated by community- and co-operatively-owned projects by (a) introducing a feed-in tariff for community energy at the earliest possible opportunity and (b) prioritising the needs of community and co-operative energy schemes in his proposals for electricity market reform; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: As part of the phase 2b FITs consultation on the tariffs and cost control mechanism for the non-PV tariff and other issues, we sought views on provisions which may improve access to FITs for community energy projects. The consultation closed on the 26 April 2012 and we will be announcing our decisions shortly.
	Our proposals for Electricity Market Reform are designed to incentivise all low-carbon generation including community and co-operative projects. Those projects using eligible technologies, which are not already eligible to receive the small scale FIT, will be able to receive a CfD.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any exemptions have been made to his policy that Ofgem may not accredit for feed-in tariffs any renewable electricity installation that has received a grant from a public body; on what grounds any such exemptions have been made; what representations he has received from (a) Stockport Hydro Scheme Ltd in Greater Manchester and (b) other community hydro-electric schemes that were in progress during the transition period from grant funding to feed-in tariffs in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) legislation does not give the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), the power to make any exemptions to the general rules on eligibility of FITs, neither does he have the power to interfere with Ofgem's decisions in individual cases.
	In addition to the Stockport Hydro Scheme, at least one other representation has been received by DECC within the last 12 months from another community hydro-electric scheme on the issue of eligibility rules for FITs as they relate to FITs and grants in combination.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding allocated to the Warm Front scheme in 2012-13 (a) has been spent, (b) is planned to be spent and (c) is expected to remain unspent.

Gregory Barker: The budget for Warm Front and associated expenditure in 2012-13 is £100 million. As of 30 June 2012, £14.2 million had been spent with a further £18.5 million of committed expenditure. Any projection of expenditure would be inherently uncertain, especially early in the financial year. It is our intention to fully utilise the Warm Front budget.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for a Warm Front grant have been (a) made, (b) approved and (c) rejected since April 2012.

Gregory Barker: The number of Warm Front applications received, approved and rejected since April 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Scheme year 2012-13(1) 
			 Applications:  
			 Received 9,597 
			 Accepted(2) 6,302 
		
	
	
		
			 Rejected 3,295 
			 (1 )Figures up to 10 July 2012. (2 )This figure includes applications awaiting survey. Final checks against the eligibility criteria for the Warm Front scheme are carried out at survey, as a result this figure may decrease over time.

Wind Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for wind farms each local planning authority (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected in each of the last 10 years.

Charles Hendry: A copy of this information, in respect of onshore wind, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Work Experience

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many interns work in his Department's press office.

Gregory Barker: There are no interns working in DECC press office.

Youth Advisory Panel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date (a) he last met and (b) he will next meet his Department's Youth Advisory Panel; what recent progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the Youth Advisory Panel's first report to (i) ensure a fair deal for young people in the decision-making process, (ii) ensure Government does not lock young and future generations into ecological debt and (iii) continue engagement in dialogue with the youth constituency and stakeholders so that the youth perspective is heard, and responded to, by Government; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Charles Hendry: Established in 2010, the Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) has provided the principal vehicle for DECC's youth engagement work.
	The Panel last met formally on 5 December 2011 since when our approach to youth engagement has been reviewed. The Panel has not, therefore, met with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey).
	Following the review the Department has decided to move to a new model of youth engagement based on approaches to reach out to a wider audience. The work of the Panel will therefore draw to a conclusion, although individual members will remain actively engaged in DECC's work. Accordingly, there are no plans for a meeting with the Secretary of State. A letter of thanks is being sent to Panel members, past and present, for their contribution, which has been instrumental in keeping the Department abreast of young people's opinions and concerns across a range of energy and climate change issues. The Panel's report "Energy: How fair is it anyway?" was a real achievement and well received within the Department.
	Young people, as with all citizens, are encouraged to participate in consultations on developing policy. Our new approach to youth engagement will see Ministers and senior officials more connected with youth audiences to encourage further participation.
	All DECC's policies are designed to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy supplies and enable the UK to meet our 2020 and 2050 emission targets, which are essential if we are to prevent young and future generations bearing the cost of ecological neglect. I understand that the task of reducing emissions will be easier with the support and active engagement of young people. Uniquely placed as the ‘DECC generation', those aged 16 now will be 24 in 2020, 34 in 2030 and 54 in 2050. As the home owners of the future they have an important role to play in demanding clean sustainable energy and energy efficient housing. They will be instrumental in the success of the Green Deal and Smart Meter programme.
	With that in mind, youth engagement work will be embedded across all our programmes and in our wider stakeholder work with schools, community organisations and NGOs. Making our youth engagement work even more energetic was a major reason for the review of our work in this area and for our new “reach out” proposition. In particular we will be working more closely with youth organisations, encouraging young people to engage in a dialogue with DECC online through my2050, social media and through a range of other channels.

CABINET OFFICE

Aerospace Industry

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the aerospace sector in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) Ashfield constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people are employed in the aerospace sector in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the Ashfield constituency.
	Annual statistics on the number of employees are available from the ONS release Business Register Employment Survey (BRES) at:
	www.ons.gov.uk
	The following table contains the latest statistics available, which show the number of employees in the aerospace sector for Nottinghamshire and the Ashfield constituency in 2010.
	
		
			  Number of employees in the aerospace sector in 2010 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,500 
			 Ashfield constituency 400 
		
	
	The employee estimates shown above have been produced by adding the number of employees in manufacturing of aircraft to the number in air transport services.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has not sold and leased back any assets in the last 12 months.

Business

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many times his Department's small and medium-sized enterprises panel has met since May 2010;
	(2)  how many times he has attended a meeting of his Department's small and medium-sized enterprises panel since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The creation of the SME panel was announced at the SME Strategic Supplier's summit which I attended with the Prime Minister in February 2011.
	Since then the panel has met four times in June and September 2011 and January and May 2012. I have attended all meetings.

Business

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps he has taken to offer (a) financial and (b) other practical assistance to (i) co-operatives, (ii) financial mutuals, (iii) employee-owned businesses and (iv) credit unions; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 12 July 2012
	The Cabinet Office established the Mutuals Support Programme (MSP) in December 2011 to provide support to public service mutuals.
	To date, over 16 organisations have been approved to receive support to develop public service mutuals, including school support services in Hammersmith and Fulham and an arts centre in Maidstone. Further details about the Mutuals Support Programme can be found on the website at:
	http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

Census: Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what account the census will take of the illegal immigrant population.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which has responsibility for the Census, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what account the census will take of the illegal immigrant population (117431).
	The Office for National Statistics mailed out 2011 census questionnaires to all residential address using an address list compiled from other national sources such as the Royal Mail, Ordnance Survey and the National Land and Property Gazetteer. Thus most, if not all, residential properties, including those containing immigrant households, will have been counted in the 2011 Census. Indeed the Census is the only nationally consistent source of the number of immigrants and their families in the country at the local area level.
	One of the main purposes of the Census is to identify the level of need for different services within the community, and this applies as much to immigrants as to other sections of the population. Particular attention was given in the 2011 Census to developing a community liaison programme to ensure that all immigrant communities were aware of the census and their statutory obligation to complete a census questionnaire. We recognised at the time, however, that, despite this statutory obligation some people may not have wished to make themselves known to us, and so we worked closely with local community organisations to make particular efforts to tell people that the information they give in the census would be treated as strictly confidential and would not be shared with anyone else.
	However, we are able to estimate the numbers and characteristics of persons who were missed in the census by undertaking a separate and independent Census Coverage Survey, and the estimates of population and households published in the first release of statistics from the 2011 Census on 16 July takes account of these. Of .course, the census did not include a specific question about legal immigrant status, so we will not be able provide any statistics, from census information, that would distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants.

Construction: Employment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the construction sector in (a) the UK, (b) the East Midlands, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) Ashfield constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people are employed in the construction sector in (a) the UK, (b) the East Midlands, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) Ashfield constituency.
	Annual statistics on the number of employees are available from the ONS release Business Register Employment Survey (BRES) at:
	www.ons.gov.uk
	The table below contains the latest statistics available, which show the number of employees in the construction sector for the Ashfield constituency, Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands and Great Britain in 2010.
	
		
			  Number of employees in 2010 
			 Ashfield constituency 3,300 
			 Nottinghamshire 16,100 
			 East Midlands 80,800 
			 Great Britain 1,146,700

Employment: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the total number of (a) private, (b) public and (c) third sector jobs in (i) Ashfield constituency, (ii) Nottinghamshire and (iii) the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the total number of (a) private, (b) public and (c) third sector jobs in (i) Ashfield constituency, (ii) Nottinghamshire and (iii) East Midlands in each of the last five years. (117392)
	Public and private sector employment statistics for local areas can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
	Estimates on people employed in the third sector are currently not available from APS. Individuals employed in voluntary organisations, charities and trusts are generally included in private sector estimates.
	Table 1, shows the numbers of people resident in (i) Ashfield constituency (ii) Nottinghamshire and {iii) East Midlands employed in the public and private sectors from APS for the period April 2011 to March 2012, which is the most recent data available and April to March for the previous four years.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number(1) of persons in employment in the public and private sectors, resident in Ashfield parliamentary constituency, Nottinghamshire and East Midlands 
			 Thousand 
			  Ashfield Nottinghamshire East Midlands 
			 12 months ending: Public Private Public Private Public Private 
			 March 2008 (2)— 28 85 282 454 1,676 
			 March 2009 (2)— 34 102 269 495 1,630 
			 March 2010 (2)— 37 101 263 507 1,582 
			 March 2011 (2)— 31 99 265 498 1,593 
			 March 2012 ****(2)— ***26 **97 *264 *482 *1,627 
			 (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality following. (2) Data unavailable. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Former Prime Ministers: Allowances

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much in public duty costs allowance has been paid to each former Prime Minister in each year since 1991;
	(2)  whether the Government has any plans to bring the public duty costs allowance within the remit of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority;
	(3)  what the limit is of the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; and when that limit was last reviewed;
	(4)  whether the public duty costs allowance is payable to former Prime Ministers who remain Members of Parliament in addition to their parliamentary allowances;
	(5)  what rules apply to claims made by former Prime Ministers from the public duty costs allowance;
	(6)  what audit is undertaken of claims made under the public duty costs allowance by former Prime Ministers; and what checks are made to ensure that claims against the allowance meet the criteria for funding from the allowance;
	(7)  what guidance is provided to former Prime Ministers on claiming from the public duty costs allowance; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that guidance.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 27 October 2011, Official Report, column 338W, and 6 April 2010, Official Report, column 1172W.
	Information for the period April 1991 to March 1997 is no longer held. The current limit, which was last reviewed in 2011, is £115,000. The amounts paid in 2011-12 are as follows:
	
		
			 2011-12 
			  £ 
			 Gordon Brown 114,998.17 
			 Margaret Thatcher 109,191.00 
			 John Major 115,000.00 
			 Tony Blair 115,000.00 
		
	
	The allowance, which is a reimbursement allowance, is paid to meet the costs of continuing to fulfil public duties associated with the role of a former Prime Minister.
	Former Prime Ministers are not eligible for the allowance should they hold the office of Leader of the Official Opposition. Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office and form part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure. There are no plans to transfer responsibility for payment of the allowance to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).
	All former Prime Ministers are provided with guidance on the PDCA. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House.

Leukaemia

Mark Garnier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 to date.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 to date.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia (incidence) are for the year 2010.
	The following table provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia in England for each year from 2007 to 2010.
	The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of newly diagnosed cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia, England, 2007-10(1, 2) 
			  Chronic myeloid leukaemia (registrations) 
			 2007 511 
			 2008 543 
			 2009 573 
			 2010 596 
			 (1) Chronic myeloid leukaemia is coded as C92.1 in the International Classification of Disease, Tenth revision (ICD-10). (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics

Migration

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how migrants arriving or departing from London Victoria Coach Station are accounted for in the net migration statistics. [R]

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking how migrants arriving or departing from London Victoria Coach Station are accounted for in the net migration statistics. (117380)
	The main source from which ONS calculates net migration is the International Passenger Survey, which is a continuous voluntary sample survey. It samples passengers travelling via the principal air, sea and Channel Tunnel routes between the UK and countries outside the British Isles. Passengers arriving or departing from London Victoria Coach Station could be sampled in the IPS at the port at which they entered or left the UK. Therefore, these migrants are included in the UK net migration estimate but figures are not available separately for migrants travelling via London Victoria Coach Station.

Performance Appraisal

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he has taken to ensure that black and minority ethnic, disabled, part-time and employees aged over 50 do not receive disproportionately low markings in performance appraisals; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office applies a rigorous moderation process on performance assessments to ensure fairness and consistency across the Department. End-year markings are analysed for equality to ensure any issues in the distribution of markings are identified and addressed.

Procurement

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of contracts issued by his Department were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2011-12; and what proportion this represented of the monetary value of contracts awarded by his Department in 2011-12.

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the total (a) number and (b) value of contracts issued by (i) his Department and (ii) bodies for which he is responsible which were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: Since January 2011, my Department has published its contracts above the value of £10,000 on the Contracts Finder website:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	863 (61.9%) of the contracts published up to May 2012 were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
	On 9 March the Cabinet Office published its report ‘Making Government Business More Accessible to SMEs—One Year On':
	https://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-Government-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year
	This report includes details of Cabinet Office spend with SMEs and highlights that the proportion of Central Government direct spend with SMEs is on track to double, from 6.5% of direct spend in 2009-10, to 13.7%.

Public Sector: Billing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what systems are in place to ensure that main contractors for public sector contracts pay their subcontractors within 30 days in line with the Government’s prompt payment code; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 13 July 2012
	There is a requirement in central Government contract terms for contractors to pay their subcontractors within 30 days in line with the Government’s prompt payment code.
	We urge subcontractors to use the ‘Mystery Shopper’ service, anonymously if necessary, to report to Government instances where this is not happening; and we regularly publish investigated cases on the Cabinet Office website.
	We are also making increasing use of project bank accounts, which ensure that subcontractors down to at least tier 3 are paid directly and promptly.
	I stressed the importance of this policy to the chief executive officers of some of the most significant suppliers at a meeting on 28 June, and the Government is collecting evidence to ensure this is happening.

Renewable Energy: Employment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the energy sector in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) Ashfield constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people are employed in the energy sector in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the Ashfield constituency.
	Annual statistics on the number of employees are available from the ONS release Business Register Employment Survey (BRES) at
	www.ons.gov.uk
	The following table contains the latest statistics available, which show the number of employees in the energy sector for Nottinghamshire and the Ashfield constituency in 2010.
	
		
			  Number of employees in the energy sector in 2010 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,200 
			 Ashfield constituency (1)— 
			 (1) Unavailable 
		
	
	Please note that the estimate for the Ashfield constituency is designated as disclosive.

Space Weather

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of (a) the (i) likelihood and (ii) potential severity of changes in space weather and (b) the potential effects of such changes on the UK power infrastructure;
	(2)  whether he plans to provide information to the public on the risks and consequences of changes in space weather.

Francis Maude: holding answer 13 July 2012
	The Government published its assessment of the risk posed by severe space weather in the National Risk Register at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/national-risk-register
	The potential impacts of such events fall mainly on infrastructure, and the Government’s assessment of the broad kinds of impact was provided to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee and published as part of its Report on Developing Threats: Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP) (HC 1552—8 February 2012).

Work Experience

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many interns work in his Department’s press office;
	(2)  how many interns work in the Prime Minister’s press office.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office Communications Directorate provides the press office function for both the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister.
	The Communications Directorate currently has one graduate intern who is a salaried employee on a short-term contract.

JUSTICE

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has not sold and leased back any land or property assets in the last 12 months.

Cemeteries

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the need for further burial space and grounds (a) in London and (b) nationally.

Jonathan Djanogly: After careful consideration, I took the view last autumn that introducing a policy of reusing graves was not critical at this time. We have nevertheless committed to keeping the situation under review. In some circumstances section 74 of the London Local Authorities Act 2007 allows for the reuse of graves in London.

Chief Coroner

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the job description for the post of Chief Coroner; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: A summary job description was produced when the appointment of His Honour Judge Peter Thornton QC as Chief Coroner was announced on 22 May 2012. With the agreement of the Lord Chief Justice, a copy of this summary has been placed in the House Libraries. A full job description will be published in due course.
	A written ministerial statement was made on 22 May 2012. Further information about the role and appointment can be found on the Judicial Office website at:
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-chief-coroner#headingAnchor3

Claims Management Services

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulation of claims management companies who submit non-sale claims to lenders and the Financial Ombudsman Service; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The effectiveness of the regulatory response to claims management companies (CMC) is under continuous review. The Department's Claims Management Regulation Unit has established a specialist team to respond to growing concerns over the practices of some CMCs providing services for consumers bringing payment protection insurance (PPI) claims against lenders. One of the main priorities is to deal with the unacceptable increase in incidence of non sale claims made to lenders. The unit is carrying out a comprehensive programme of audits of CMCs to root out the bad practices and bring CMCs to compliance. The unit is working with the Financial Ombudsman Service and many of the major lenders to gather the evidence needed to target these investigations and has issued further guidance on the standards which CMCs must meet. Enforcement action has been and will be taken against CMCs which fail to comply.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he has received any request from the Scottish Government to transfer responsibility for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in Scotland to Ministers in the Scottish Government;
	(2)  whether his Department has proposed transferring responsibility for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in Scotland to the Scottish Government.

Jonathan Djanogly: Neither Scottish Government Ministers nor the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), have proposed any such changes.

Driving Offences: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many motorists were prosecuted for speeding offences in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) Ashfield constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The number of proceedings at magistrates court for speed limit offences in the Nottinghamshire police force area, from 2009 to 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
	Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			 Proceedings at magistrates court for speed limit offences in the Nottinghamshire police force area, 2009 to 2011 
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 Speeding limit offences 3,686 3,345 3,286 
		
	
	
		
			 Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Employment Tribunals Service: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals in (a) Scotland and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency took a case to an employment tribunal in each year since 2007.

Jonathan Djanogly: Employment tribunals in Scotland have power to deal with proceedings, in the main, where the respondent (or one of the respondents) to proceedings resides or carries on business in Scotland.
	Initially, all proceedings in Scotland are processed by the Glasgow Office. Subsequently, the office that deals with a case is determined (subject to judicial direction to the contrary) by the postcode of the respondent (i.e. the employer, or former employer, against which a claim is brought). Claims where a respondent is based in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency would (without further direction) remain at the Glasgow Office.
	Information on the addresses of claimants (i.e. the individuals bringing proceedings) is not collated centrally and (to the extent it is held at all) could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Electronic records held by local tribunal offices are anonymised and archived one year after the disposal of the proceedings, and hard copy files are disposed of at the same time.
	However, by interrogating internal management information, it is possible to provide data on the number of claims received by employment tribunals in Scotland in each financial year since 2006-07; and the number of claims accepted by employment tribunals where the respondent was based in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. Insofar as that latter category is concerned, the only information that is collated centrally dates from June 2011.
	Information relating to the period March 2012 to June 2012 is subject to internal data cleansing and will not be available until the Ministry of Justice publishes its 2012-13 Quarter 1 statistics covering the tribunals administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
	
		
			 Table 1: Employment tribunal claims accepted in Scotland in each financial year 2006-07 to 2011-12 
			 Financial year Total claims Single claims Multiple claims 
			 2006-07 28,822 4.643 24,179 
			 2007-08 33,017 4.230 28,787 
			 2008-09 22,345 4.983 17,362 
			 2009-10 22,754 5.885 16,869 
			 2010-11 19,212 5.125 14,087 
			 2011-12 17,678 4.973 12,705 
			 Source: (1 )2009-10 ET Annual Report Database (Official Statistics) (2 )2006-07 to 2008-09 ET Central Database (Management Information) 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Employment tribunal claims accepted where the respondent was based in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency June 2011 to March 2012 
			 Financial year Total claims Single claims Multiple claims 
			 June 2011 to March 2012 75 64 11 
			 Notes: 1. Claims can be either a single or multiple claim. A single claim is where a claimant brings an individual action against one or more respondents. Multiple claims are where two or more claimants bring an action against one or more respondents. 2. The figures given in Table 2 are for the postcodes that are covered by the Kilmarnock & Loudoun constituency. These postcodes are KA1, 3, 4, 5, 16, 17 & 18. There is some overlap in all of these postcodes with other constituencies, but it is not possible to break the postcode data down further. 3. Rounding All figures are independently rounded and thus may not add to totals. The following conventions have been used throughout: Values less than 100 remain as unit values; Values > 1,000 are rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Local ET Ml System—Glasgow (Management Information)

Ex Gratia Payments

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the monetary value of ex gratia payments made through schemes administered by his Department in the last two years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department and its three executive agencies made ex gratia payments totalling £1.22 million in 2010-11 and £1.15 million in 2011-12.
	Further information on ex gratia payments is also available on page 142 of the Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 which were laid in Parliament on 11 July 2012.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to HM Courts and Tribunals Service of enforcing the payment of financial penalties levied by courts in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jonathan Djanogly: HM Courts and Tribunals Service costs of criminal enforcement for the last three financial years was:
	
		
			 Financial year Cost (£ million) 
			 2011-12 54.0 
			 2010-11 58.5 
			 2009-10 59.9 
		
	
	Costs are the direct staff, office and court costs relating to the enforcement of financial penalties imposed by the courts. Bailiff costs which are reimbursed by the offender, and central overhead costs are not included.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much legal aid funding was paid to Leigh Day & Co in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following sums have been paid to Leigh Day & Co in each of the past five years:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£) 
			 2007-08 1,539,133 
			 2008-09 1,348.631 
			 2009-10 992,334 
			 2010-11 1,182,080 
			 2011-12 1,216,889 
		
	
	These payments are for all of the firm's legal aid work over the last five years and cover multiple legal aid clients. The sums include VAT and disbursements, such as expenses incurred on cases, expert fees and translation of documents, and barristers' fees. Although paid by the LSC directly to the solicitors firm, these costs may then be paid to other parties involved in the case, so the totals do not represent the firm's earnings.

Offenders: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many female prisoners have children under the age of 18; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of women with a previous conviction have children under the age of 18; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Data on the number of prisoners with dependent children under 18 are not routinely collected. However, research studies have explored this issue. One estimate of the proportion of female prisoners with dependent children under the age of 18 comes from the Ministry of Justice’s Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) survey, which followed 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in prison in 2005 and 2006 in England and Wales. This study found that around 59% of female prisoners in the sample reported having dependent children under the age of 18 and that those women had an average of two children each. For women with a previous conviction or caution (85% of the sample), the proportion with children was the same, around 59%.

Police Custody: Young People

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 so that 17-year-olds are no longer treated as adults in police custody.

Nick Herbert: Having considered carefully the benefits, costs and risks of treating 17-year-olds as children under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the Government have concluded that it would not be appropriate to amend the law at the present time.

Prisoners: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in Kent have keys to their own cells.

Crispin Blunt: As at 12 July 2012, a total of 1,153 prisoners held in prison establishments in Kent had courtesy keys to their cells.
	Governors may permit prisoners to hold a courtesy key to their cell. This permits the prisoner to open and close their cell door during set times. Prison staff have a key that overrides these courtesy locks and thereby ensures complete control overall cell doors.

Prostitution

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many sex workers were cautioned in the Metropolitan police area during 2011;
	(2)  how many persons in the Metropolitan police area were convicted of controlling prostitutes for gain in 2011;
	(3)  how many sex workers were arrested and proceeded against during 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The number of offenders cautioned for selected prostitution related offences in the Metropolitan police force area, in 2011, can be viewed in table 1.
	The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for controlling prostitutes for gain in the Metropolitan police force area, in 2011, can be viewed in table 2.
	The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for selected prostitution related offences in England and Wales, in 2011, can be viewed in table 3.
	Statistical information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice from the Police National Computer on cautions issued in England and Wales does not identify all the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify the specific activities behind each offence.
	The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify the specific activities behind each offence.
	The requested data on arrests are not collected centrally. Available data on arrests held by the Home Office cover notifiable offences, broken down at offence group level only; covering categories such as violence against the person and sexual offences. From these centrally reported categories it is not possible to separately identify arrests for specific offences. It is also not possible to identify from information on arrests whether the alleged offender was a sex worker.
	Further, offences under section 46 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 and section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 are not notifiable offences and therefore do not form part of the arrests collection.
	
		
			 Table 1: Offenders cautioned(1, 2) for selected prostitution related offences(3), in Metropolitan police force area, 2011(4) 
			 Metropolitan police force area(5) Number 
			 Prostitution offences 130 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Offences include: Causing or inciting prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 2003 s52 Keeping a brothel for prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 1956 33a Keeping a brothel—Sexual Offences Act 1956 s33 Placing of advertisement relating to prostitution—Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s46 Person persistently loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution—Street Offences Act 1959 s1 (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Includes Metropolitan and City of London police force areas. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Defendants found guilty at all courts under "controlling prostitutes for gain", in Metropolitan police force area(1), 2011(2, 3) 
			 Statute Offence Number 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003, s53 Controlling prostitution for gain 4 
			 (1) Includes Metropolitan and City of London police force areas. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for selected prostitution related offences, in England and Wales, 2011(1,)()(2) 
			 England and Wales Number 
			 Prostitution offences(3) 261 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Offences include: Causing or inciting prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 2003 s52 Keeping a brothel for prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 1956 33a Keeping a brothel—Sexual Offences Act 1956 s33 Placing of advertisement relating to prostitution—Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s46 Person persistently loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution—Street Offences Act 1959 s1 Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Reoffenders: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of women with a previous conviction reoffended in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Reoffending rates for offenders released, convicted or released from custody in 2010-11 are not yet available. This is because we allow a one-year follow up period for reoffending to occur, and a further six-month waiting period for offences to be processed by the courts. Figures for the calendar year 2010 will not be available until October 2012.
	However, there are statistics on the number and percentage of female offenders sentenced for indictable offences in 2010 and 2011 who had at least one previous conviction in England and Wales. These figures are derived from table A7.2 of “Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to December 2011” which was published by the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2012.
	
		
			 Number and percentage of female offenders(1) sentenced for indictable offences who had at least one previous conviction(s) in England and Wales, 2010-11 
			  Of those with previous conviction(s) All offenders Percentage (%) 
			 2010 35,743 23,451 65.6 
			 2011 33,816 22,866 67.6 
			 (1) Figures presented in the table are distinct offenders unlike the figures in table A7.2 which are sentencing occasions. Note: The previous convictions include all convictions for indictable and summary offences. 
		
	
	The latest statistics on the criminal histories of offenders can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-justice-stats-dec-2011.pdf
	The figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Sentencing: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many custodial sentences of (a) two weeks or less, (b) one month and (c) two months were served by female prisoners in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of female prisoners serving short sentences in prison establishments in England and Wales, as at 30 June of each year from 2007 to 2011, broken down by detailed sentence length band.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Female population in prison serving short sentences, England and Wales 30 June 2007 to 2011 
			 Sentence length 2007 2008 2009 2009(1) 2010 2011 
			 Two weeks or less 8 4 4 2 4 6 
			 More than two weeks to less than one month 8 6 5 9 3 4 
			 One month 19 20 18 18 14 13 
			 More than one month to less than two months 24 45 49 49 50 58 
			 Two months 17 24 9 10 5 10 
			 More than two months to six months 391 450 369 395 426 402 
			 Unrecorded less than or equal to six months(2) — — — 0 21 9 
			 Less than or equal to six months (3)466 (3)552 (3)458 483 523 502 
			 (1) Due to the introduction of a new prison IT system the 2010 prison population is now taken from a different source. The 2009 figures from the old and new system have been presented for comparison. (2) Sentence length is not recorded centrally for a small proportion of prisoners. For these cases we have estimated the broad sentence length band, but they cannot be allocated to a more detailed sentence length band. (3) Sum of sub totals may not equal the overall total as these figures are based on scaled data.

Solicitors: Fees and Charges

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking in respect of excessive legal charges levied by solicitors in no-win-no-fee cases;
	(2)  what representations he has received on lawyers using minor compensation cases to charge high legal fees to small employers in no-win-no-fee cases;
	(3)  whether his Department plans to meet the Law Society on no-win-no-fee cases;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with representatives of small business on lawyers charging high fees in no-win-no-fee cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government is taking firm action to tackle the high costs in civil litigation under the current no-win no-fee conditional fee agreement (CFA) regime. Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 makes fundamental changes to the CFA arrangements to reduce legal costs which often fall on businesses and other defendants. Under our changes, CFAs will continue to be available to fund such claims, although any success fee and after the event (ATE) insurance premium will no longer be recoverable from the losing party. Both claimants and defendants will have an incentive to keep legal costs down. The changes will be implemented in April 2013.
	The changes are based on Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations in his Review of Civil Litigation Costs. The Government conducted a full public consultation in November 2010 on implementing the reforms. The Ministry of Justice engaged with and received representations from a wide range of interested parties during and after the consultation process including the Law Society and the Federation of Small Businesses. We will continue to engage with key stakeholders as we move towards implementation.

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of his Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Jonathan Djanogly: As at 31 May the Ministry of Justice had 427 staff seeking permanent redeployment. Of these, 180 have been on the redeployment register for more than six months. These figures represent staff at all grades including senior civil servants.
	While seeking suitable alternative permanent roles the majority are engaged in work that needs to be done to contribute to the delivery of public services, including core frontline activities, policy and project work and other operational roles.

Young Offenders: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 years from (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were held in (i) young offender institutions, (ii) local prisons, (iii) women's prisons and (iv) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated young offender institution (YOI) accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	Those serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated young offender institution (YOI) accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The first table as follows shows the number of young adult offenders aged 18 to 20-years-old from (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009. The second table provides the information for Nottinghamshire which Ashfield is a part of. The data have only been recorded centrally since May 2009 and from September 2010 are available on a bi-monthly basis.
	
		
			 Ashfield 
			 Number 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Location May Sept Nov Jan Mar May July Sept Nov Jan Mar May 
			 (a) Male young offender institutions 5 12 13 7 10 7 5 10 10 9 2 2 
			 (b) Male local prisons 0 1 2 0 1 4 2 3 3 2 0 4 
			 (c) Female prisons 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (d) Other prisons 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Nottinghamshire 
			 Number 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Location May Sept Nov Jan Mar May July Sept Nov Jan Mar May 
			 (a) Male young offender institutions 40 45 46 39 55 48 56 54 47 46 28 38 
			 (b) Male local prisons 8 14 8 9 4 13 9 13 16 12 2 20 
			 (c) Female prisons 2 4 1 0 3 3 1 2 0 3 0 1 
			 (d) Other prisons 0 8 5 3 5 5 4 2 3 1 1 2 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the table above.
	If no address is given, an offenders committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the table above. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the table above.

Young Offenders: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were held in a (i) secure children's home, (ii) secure training centre and (iii) young offender institution in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: Data on juvenile offenders are not held at a constituency level therefore it is not possible to answer part (a) of this question. The answer to part (b) of this question is as follows:
	The following table shows the number of juvenile offenders (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to the Nottinghamshire Youth Offending Team (YOT) who have been held in each under 18 young offender institution in each month since May 2009 to April 2012.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area.
	These are based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table.
	The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013. Data from 2012-13 will be finalised in 2014.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Young people (aged 10 to 17) in custody attached to Nottinghamshire Youth Offending Team (YOT) by establishment type in each month since May 2009 
			 Month Secure children’s homes Secure training centres Young offender institutions 
			 2009    
			 May 2 4 15 
			 June 1 2 15 
			 July 4 5 17 
			 August 3 3 14 
			 September 3 5 12 
			 October 3 4 21 
			 November 4 4 22 
			 December 4 3 14 
			     
			 2010    
			 January 5 4 12 
			 February 4 5 12 
			 March 2 4 12 
			 April 2 4 11 
			 May 2 5 10 
			 June 2 4 13 
			 July 2 5 13 
			 August 2 5 11 
			 September 2 5 10 
			 October 2 3 9 
			 November 2 4 8 
			 December 2 3 8 
			     
			 2011    
			 January 1 4 12 
			 February 1 7 10 
			 March 1 4 10 
			 April 2 4 6 
			 May 2 2 10 
			 June 2 2 8 
		
	
	
		
			 July 1 2 7 
			 August 2 2 7 
			 September 1 2 8 
			 October 2 2 11 
			 November 3 4 7 
			 December 3 3 5 
			     
			 2012    
			 January 3 2 4 
			 February 3 1 6 
			 March 2 1 6 
			 April 2 2 7 
			 Notes: 1. The data come from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. 3. The YJB does not hold data at constituency or local authority level. However, it does hold data down to Youth Offending Team (YOT) area, some of which cover more than one local authority area. Nottinghamshire YOT is the same area as Nottinghamshire. 4. The table shows the number of young people aged under 18 attached to the Nottinghamshire Youth Offending Team who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005. This includes those sentenced and on remand. 5. This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, may be shown in more than one month in the table. 6. Please note, data from April 2011 onwards are provisional. Data from April 2011 onwards will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013 and data from April 2012 will be finalised in 2014.

Youth Custody: Education

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of progress in ensuring appropriate educational provision for Welsh-speaking young people held on the secure estate.

Crispin Blunt: There has been progress in ensuring appropriate educational provision for Welsh-speaking young people in the secure estate, in particular for those from North Wales held in secure accommodation in England at HMYOI Hindley. The Youth Justice Board implemented from September last year an enhanced service specification for Welsh young people held there to ensure that their distinct educational and cultural needs are addressed in the curriculum.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not sold any assets within the last 12 months which have been leased back. There has therefore been no cost to the public purse.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve access for international aid agencies to all areas of Arakan State, Burma and (b) monitor the distribution of aid in that area on the basis of need without discrimination.

Alan Duncan: We are working with other donors through the UN in relation to the needs in Arakan State and await the needs assessment based on the findings of OCHA and aid agency partners. This will set out the actions proposed and mechanisms for distribution and monitoring. The British ambassador has repeatedly raised concerns with Ministers and directly with the President about the humanitarian and political situation in Arakan and called on all sides to allow unrestricted humanitarian access for international and local aid agencies to the affected communities.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date his Department referred allegations that CDC had invested in companies reported to have been money laundering fronts for James Ibori to the (a) Serious Fraud Office and (b) Metropolitan Police.

Andrew Mitchell: DFID's Counter Fraud Unit met the London Metropolitan Police on 15 May 2009 during the time of the last Government to discuss the allegations by Mr Dotun Oloko. The Department, CDC and London Metropolitan Police met the Serious Fraud Office on 23 April 2010 to discuss the allegations.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to investigate allegations that Emerging Capital Partners defrauded CDC and other investors.

Andrew Mitchell: In February 2009 during the regime of the last Government, DFID and CDC received allegations that certain CDC fund managers had invested the capital of CDC and other investors in a number of Nigerian companies that have been linked to politically exposed persons and which may have been engaged in corrupt practices. CDC has investigated these allegations and has found no evidence to substantiate the allegations. DFID and CDC stand ready to look again into these matters should they receive new evidence.

Developing Countries: Education

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to meet the Millennium Development Goal to ensure universal education.

Alan Duncan: The UK is playing its part in helping to achieve the millennium development goal of universal primary education.
	DFID's 2012 Annual Report shows that the UK is supporting 5.3 million children in primary education (2.5 million girls) and 600,000 in lower secondary education in developing countries. The UK has also helped to train 90,000 teachers. Over the comprehensive spending review period the UK has pledged to support nine million children in primary school, over half of whom will be girls and two million in lower secondary education.
	In addition DFID recently launched a new mechanism called the Girls Education Challenge, which will support up to an additional one million of the world's poorest girls to complete their education. GEC will encourage innovation in the non-state sector to find new ways to reach girls in marginalised communities.

Dotun Oloko

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has offered legal assistance to the Nigerian whistleblower Mr Dotun Oloko under the provisions of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

Andrew Mitchell: DFID has not offered any legal assistance to Mr Oloko under Article 46 of the UN Convention Against Corruption as Article 46 places an obligation of mutual legal assistance on state parties, not on individuals.

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations his Department is funding to counter human trafficking; and where these organisations are based.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID is currently providing funding to the following organisations to counter human trafficking and slavery. The location of each organisation's headquarters is shown in brackets.
	Asia Regional Trafficking Programme:
	NIMBUS Social Enterprise Consulting (Southampton, UK); Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (Bangkok, Thailand); International Labour Organization (Geneva, Switzerland); Anti-Slavery International (London, UK). The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (London, UK) has the contract for monitoring and evaluation.
	Malawi Anti-Child Trafficking Project:
	Salvation Army (London, UK).
	Challenging Descent-Based Slavery in West Africa:
	Anti-Slavery International (London, UK).
	Slavery and Child Labour: Governance and Social Responsibility:
	Anti-Slavery International (London, UK).

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of (a) food shortages and (b) levels of conflict in Mali; if he will reconsider Mali's exclusion from the list of priority countries for bilateral aid; what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the flow of arms to Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The United Nations currently estimates that the number of people at risk of food shortages across the Sahel region of West Africa in 2012 is 18 million. Of these, 3.5 million are in Mali.
	The security situation in Mali remains of particular concern, and over 350,000 men, women and children have been directly affected by the conflict in the northern regions of the country. Over 235,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, and over 155,000 people have been internally displaced following months of armed conflict. The deterioration in security conditions has severely limited the humanitarian response, by reducing access to those acutely affected by this crisis in the north of the country.
	The UK Government is supporting efforts led by the Economic Community Of West African States and the African Union to bring about a resolution to the crisis in Mali. We will continue to work closely with our international partners, including the United Nations and the European Union, to help return the country to full democracy, including the holding of elections.
	Mali is not one of the priority countries for UK bilateral aid, following a fundamental review of all such programmes based on need and where the UK can make the most positive difference. Others with stronger links to this part of the world are better placed to provide long term bilateral development assistance to Mali, but the UK does have a significant stake through our contributions to the European Union and United Nations.
	I have had no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the flow of arms to Mali.

Overseas Aid: Fraud

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what fraud losses his Department (a) identified and (b) recovered in each country to which it provided aid in each of the last three years; and what the financial value was in each case.

Alan Duncan: Since October 2010, DFID has reported detected fraud and error in quarterly data summaries. They are not split by country. The quarterly data summaries are published on DFID's website. DFID's actual losses to fraud are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Gross Recovered Net 
			 2009-10 459,392.40 198,620.78 260,771,62 
			 2010-11 592,216.85 477,034.71 115,182.14 
			 2011-12 3,099,044.27 1,920,973.25 1,178,071.02 
		
	
	The Department has accelerated its work on the prevention and early identification of fraud. We take a robust approach once fraud has been identified (with effective incident investigation and strengthening of controls to prevent recurrence) and have a good record on recovery of lost funds (61% for 2011-12).

Overseas Aid: Fraud

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 277W, on overseas aid: fraud, whether there has been a change in the number of full-time equivalent officials responsible for fraud investigations since his Answer.

Alan Duncan: In addition to the resources set out in the previous answer, counter-fraud capacity has since been strengthened by the secondment of an Advisory and Liaison officer from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency into the Counter Fraud Unit; we have also expanded our Fraud Liaison Network to include a liaison officer in all of our focus countries (32 in total).

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff of his Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Alan Duncan: DFID currently has nine staff receiving redeployment support. All DFID staff receiving redeployment support are fully utilised in an appropriate role. Only one member of staff has been receiving support for more than six months.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Air Travel

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has been issued with 13 economy tickets in the last 12 months. He has not flown by budget airline over the same period.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Arab Partnership Participation Fund

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the breakdown is of the spending of the Arab Partnership Participation Fund.

William Hague: In the financial year 2011-12, the Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF) spent £5.27 million across 11 countries, broken down as follows by the APPF thematic priorities: Political Participation—£1.72 million; Public Voice—£1.31 million; Rule of Law —£0.77 million; Anti-Corruption—£0.54 million; Private Sector Development—£0.32 million; Youth Employability —£0.25 million. The Fund also spent £0.24 million on “Tactical Funds”, small, quick-win interventions spanning the themes. Additionally, £0.12 million funded 11 locally engaged staff to manage the projects. In the financial year 2012-13 we have so far approved 56 projects, totalling over £10 million.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not sold and leased back any property asset in the past 12 months.

Crisis Management Centre

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the new Crisis Management Centre.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Operations Committee approved a budget for the build-elements of this project of 1.96 million pounds. Construction work continues on schedule for completion this month, and our current forecast spend is 1.89 million pounds. In addition we have spent approximately 400,000 pounds on new equipment for the centre (although this figure cannot be confirmed until the work is complete and all payments processed). The new crisis centre will significantly enhance our capability to respond to crises overseas, and staff began moving back in on 9 July.

Data Protection

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of (a) data loss and (b) breaches of confidentiality have occurred in his Department since January 2012.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a formal procedure for reporting, investigating and monitoring any incidents involving the loss or compromise of personal data for which it is responsible. According to our records, since 1 January this year, there have been two incidents involving the loss of data and four involving a breach of confidentiality. None were considered significant enough to report to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
	The FCO takes its data handling responsibilities very seriously. Our policies and procedures are designed to ensure that we are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and HMG’s Security Policy Framework. All our staff, including those who work for our delivery partners, have a responsibility to manage personal data effectively and securely in line with those policies and procedures. Training in data handling is mandatory for all staff.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on events to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

Henry Bellingham: Her Majesty the Queen's diamond jubilee offers an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the strengths of the UK to the world, alongside our efforts linked to the London Olympics and Paralympics and the GREAT campaign, while the country enjoys unprecedented levels of attention.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has sought to promote Britain as an open, connected, creative and dynamic country that successfully combines history and tradition with modernity and innovation. We have created opportunities overseas to allow everyone who wants to celebrate the jubilee to be able to, in a manner befitting the current financial climate.
	The FCO GREAT and 2012 programme fund allocated £123,000 for 30 specific diamond jubilee events overseas (most supplemented by local sponsorship) reaching an estimated media audience of hundreds of millions.
	There are many other jubilee events taking place in the UK and overseas throughout the whole year and it will take time for all the relevant expenditure to be charged and accounted for after the end of the year. In addition, the majority of events organised by our network of posts overseas have been wholly or partially paid out of locally held budgets and these figures are therefore not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

EU Institutions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals on secondment from each Government Department were working in an EU (a) institution and (b) agency in each year since 2009.

David Lidington: Information on the numbers of UK civil servants on secondment to EU Institutions and Agencies, by UK Government Department or agency, during each year from 2009 to 2012 is in the following table. The statistics are for UK civil servants, not British nationals. (Nationality data are classed as personal information so cannot be used for these quantities where individuals could be identified.)
	It is important to note that:
	This information includes secondments ranging from five-month special traineeships for civil servants ('Experts on Professional Training') to postings lasting up to four years.
	Many secondments run over several years. It is therefore not correct to add the figures per year to obtain a total number of secondments for the period 2009 to 2012. For instance, the total number of civil servants seconded from BIS from 2009 to 2012 is lower than 33.
	
		
			  2012 2011 2010 2009 
			 Home Dept Institutions Agencies Institutions Agencies Institutions Agencies Institutions Agencies 
			 BIS 5 0 13 0 10 0 5 0 
			 CEFAS 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 DCSF 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 DECC 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 DEFRA 8 1 12 1 9 0 4 0 
			 DFID 24 0 22 0 25 0 11 0 
			 DFT 3 0 9 1 10 1 8 0 
			 DH 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 
			 DIUS 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 DWP 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 
			 Environment Agency 2 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 
			 FCO 5 0 8 0 9 0 12 0 
			 FERA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Financial Services Authority 5 0 7 0 6 0 4 0 
			 Food Standards Agency 3 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 
			 HMRC 3 0 5 0 4 0 4 0 
			 HMT 4 0 8 0 7 0 6 0 
			 Home Office 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 
			 HSE 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 ICO 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 IPO 4 1 4 1 3 1 3 0 
			 JIU 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 JNCC/DEFRA 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 LES 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Marine Management Organisation 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 MCA 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 
			 MFA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 MOD 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 MOJ 1 0 2 0 3 0 3 0 
			 Natural England 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 OFCOM 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 OFT 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 ONS 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 SOCA 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 
			 TSol 0 0 3 0 4 0 4 0 
			 UKBA 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 
			 VMD-DEFRA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 WSRA 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Total 90 5 119 8 111 4 77 2

European External Action Service

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the monetary value was of the UK’s contribution to the EU External Action Service in each year since 2009; and what estimate he has made of that contribution in each of the next five years.

David Lidington: The UK contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not to individual elements of it. Details of the UK’s contributions to the EU budget over the period 2006-07 to 2011-12 were published on 13 July 2012 in table 3C (page 17) of European Union Finances 2012 (Cm 8405). This document is available in the House Library. The European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched on 1 January 2011. The EEAS budget in 2011 was €464 million, which represents less than 1% of the EU budget. However, €441 million (over 91%) was existing money transferred from the Commission and Council. The EEAS budget in 2012 is €489 million (£396 million). Discussions are ongoing on the EEAS 2013 budget.

European External Action Service: Secondment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on how many UK nationals from each Government Department are on secondment to the European External Action Service.

David Lidington: Our records show that we have 17 seconded national experts to the European External Action Service (EEAS). Of these, two are from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), 11 from the Ministry of Defence and four from the Department for International Development.
	In addition, we also have 15 FCO staff working as temporary agents in the EEAS. We expect this number to increase.

Ex Gratia Payments

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the monetary value of ex gratia payments made through schemes administered by his Department in the last two years.

Henry Bellingham: We have not run any schemes involving ex gratia payments during the past two years.

Exports

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with London-based business organisations on increasing exports to (a) other EU member states, (b) China, (c) India and (d) Brazil.

Henry Bellingham: Ministers meet with a range of individual businesses and business organisations to discuss a variety of topics including our ambitions to increase trade with emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil, as well as with traditional trading partners across the EU.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) also pointed to the importance of these markets and our determination to support British exporters in his speech to the CBI on 17 May 2012.

Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much (a) the UK Embassy network and (b) his Department spent on petrol and diesel costs in each of the last five years.

David Lidington: The total expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on petrol, diesel and oil for official vehicles in our overseas network in each of the last five financial years was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 1.55 
			 2008-09 1.91 
			 2009-10 1.69 
			 2010-11 1.99 
			 2011-12 1.63 
		
	
	Our overseas fleet currently comprises 1,534 vehicles. We have measures in place to ensure that Posts purchase fuel at competitive prices and obtain value for money overall, including by ensuring that regular checks are made on fuel consumption by official vehicles.
	FCO Services operates a UK Fleet of 43 vehicles. Total expenditure on petrol, diesel and oil for the UK fleet in 2011-12 was £101,958. Comparable figures for earlier years are unavailable.

GREAT Campaign

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the GREAT campaign since it was established.

Jeremy Browne: In 2011-12 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) allocated £1.4 million to the GREAT campaign and spent £1.347 million. In addition, the FCO contributed £3 million to GREAT activities allocated and carried out elsewhere in Government.
	For this financial year (2012-13), the FCO has allocated £1.334 million to the GREAT campaign and had spent £0.467 million by 13 July.
	We have worked with other Government Departments, GREAT campaign partners, UK Trade and Investment, VisitBritain and the British Council to use these funds to hold over 200 events around the world, promoting Britain as a world class destination to do business and to visit. Nine high profile launches to date have alone generated coverage with an advertising equivalent value of over £17 million. The events have generated over 1,800 media articles.

Official Hospitality

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 875W.

Palestinians

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has commissioned any independent research into the content of Palestinian textbooks.

Alistair Burt: The UK takes seriously any reports of textbooks which promote anti-Semitism or any other form of incitement to hatred. UK officials have made this position clear to the Palestinian Authority.
	Previous investigations have found no evidence to support claims of incitement or anti-Semitism in Palestinian textbooks. A number of studies by respected research institutions have reviewed textbooks used in Palestinian schools. Most recently, the US State Department commissioned a full independent investigation into the content of Palestinian and Israeli school textbooks. We are confident in the independence of this investigation, which will be conducted by a joint Israeli-Palestinian research team, under the supervision of Professor Bruce Wexler of Yale University and overseen by a Scientific Advisory Panel of European, American, Palestinian and Israeli experts. It is due to report in 2012 and we will be reviewing its findings and recommendations with our EU counterparts.

Photoshoots and Videos

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on photoshoots and videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

David Lidington: Two Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officers trained in photography covered FCO events attended by Ministers at no additional cost to the department between May 2010 and December 2010. This was reduced to one FCO officer in December 2010.
	Between May 2010 and April 2012 the FCO contracted two professional video journalists through the Central Office of Information (COI). This was reduced to one professional video journalist when COI closed in April 2012, reducing the cost to the department. It would incur disproportionate cost to separate the staff time costs for the videos produced which covered ministerial events from the ones which did not include Ministers. Staff in our overseas network of posts take photographs and videos of ministerial visits but this is a tiny part of their role and so details are not held centrally.

Public Expenditure

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department allocated to the (a) Stabilisation Aid Fund, (b) Conflict Prevention Pool, (c) Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund, (d) BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust, (e) BBC World Service Trust, (f) Special Reserve, (g) British Council and (h) Security and Intelligence Fund in each year since 2009.

William Hague: The information requested is as follows:
	(a), (b) and (c): On 1 April 2009, the Conflict Prevention Pool and the Stabilisation Aid Fund were merged to form the Conflict Pool, which is managed tri-departmentally by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the same time, responsibility for discretionary peacekeeping costs moved from the Peacekeeping Budget (managed by the FCO) to the Conflict Pool.
	Funding for the Peacekeeping Budget and the Conflict Pool (and its predecessors) is provided for separately by the Treasury and does not come from departmental expenditure limits (DEL). As a result, the FCO does not usually contribute to these funds from its own departmental budget. However, in financial year 2009-10, the FCO contributed an additional £2 million to the Conflict Pool from its departmental budget to support stabilisation activities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
	FCO spend through the Conflict Pool is listed in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	(d) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including Capital) to the BBC World Service from 2009-10 to 2011-12 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates and Departmental Resource Accounts for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 272.0 
			 2010-11 262.5 
			 2011-12 253.0 
		
	
	(e) The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions. The FCO makes no specific allocation to it each year but may fund individual projects on an ad hoc basis.
	(f) The FCO makes no allocations to the “Special Reserve” which is part of the Treasury Reserve.
	(g) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including capital) to the British Council from 2009-10 to 2011-12 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates and Departmental Resource Accounts for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 200.7 
			 2010-11 188.0 
			 2011-12 180.5 
		
	
	(h) The FCO makes no allocation to the Single Intelligence Account.

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of his Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have staff in the civil service redeployment pool.

Public Sector Staff

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department are working on the repatriation of powers from the EU.

William Hague: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Europe directorate takes the lead on the consideration of institutional issues, existing and prospective, working in close concert with other relevant Government Departments. The right hon. Member will also be aware of my statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, columns 468-70, on the review of the balance of competences.

Third Sector

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which charities and voluntary organisations Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 884W.

Training

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was in each case.

Henry Bellingham: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers attended the Ministerial Induction course run by the National School of Government at no cost to the Office.
	Since May 2010 the FCO has funded media training for the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), and I, and French lessons for the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington). The total cost of ministerial training since May 2010 is £4,620.
	Training is available to Ministers in order to carry out their duties effectively under the Ministerial Code.

USA

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will issue an emergency travel document for Colin Anditon, constituent of the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Frank Field), to enable his travel from New York to HM Prison Wandsworth.

Alistair Burt: It would not be appropriate for me to comment due to our obligations under the Data Protection Act on Mr Anditon's personal circumstances, including his eligibility for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD).
	ETDs are issued abroad to British nationals if their passport has been lost or stolen or is otherwise unavailable, and can be issued quickly when someone needs to travel urgently at short notice. Applicants must be able to verify their identity and pay the necessary fee. Consular staff carry out checks to confirm eligibility before an ETD is issued.

Western Sahara

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to UN Security Council Resolution 2044 (2012), when the visit of Ambassador Christopher Ross to Western Sahara will take place.

Alistair Burt: No dates have been announced for a visit to Western Sahara by Ambassador Christopher Ross.
	The UK fully supports the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Ambassador Christopher Ross and the UN-led efforts to achieve a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers in his Department have discussed progress on the referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara with Moroccan authorities during recent visits to the region.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I discuss Western Sahara when we meet our Moroccan counterparts. We last did so when I visited Morocco from 26 to 28 June, when I met Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs, Youssef Amrani.
	The Government strongly supports the UN-led efforts to encourage Morocco and the Polisario front to agree a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Wines

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated value is of the Government wine cellar; and what the 20 most expensive bottles are.

Henry Bellingham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David) on 9 February 2012, Official Report, 363W.

Wines

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many bottles from the Government's wine cellar have been sold in the last year; and what revenue has accrued from each sale.

Henry Bellingham: The Government Hospitality wine cellar is a Government-wide resource. The cellar is already largely self-financing. In the financial year 2011-12 Government Hospitality spent £55,602 on new stocks of wines and spirits. In the same period, it redeemed £44,000 from sales of older stock. In addition, Government Hospitality received £10,519 in repayment from other Government Departments for wines and spirits used at events on their behalf.
	Publication of the annual statement to Parliament on the Government Hospitality wine cellar has, regrettably, been delayed until the autumn.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Businesses: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessments his Department has made of the performance of the Finance Fitness campaign; on what dates such assessments were completed; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each assessment.

Mark Prisk: Under the banner of Finance Fitness a number of business organisations agreed to co-operate with Government to produce and distribute advice and guidance for businesses seeking finance. This work has now been assimilated into the wider, “Business in You” campaign, a partnership between private enterprise and Government, to highlight support for start-ups and small, growing businesses. Information can be found on the Business in You website.

Billing

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new firms signed up to the Prompt Payment Code in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many businesses ceased to be signed up to the code in each of these years.

Mark Prisk: The Prompt Payment Code is administered on a day-to-day basis by the Institute of Credit Management; they have provided the following annual breakdown of new signatories:
	2010—295 new signatories (total number of signatories: 978)
	2011—89 new signatories (total number of signatories: 1,067)
	2012—46 new signatories (to June 2012; total number of signatories 1,113)
	The total number of businesses withdrawn from the Prompt Payment Code according to records kept by the Institute of Credit Management is four. These are not broken down on an annual basis and some removals may pre-date retained records. In most cases, businesses are withdrawn from the Code when they become insolvent or cease trading.
	The Government is supportive of the Prompt Payment Code and continues to actively encourage businesses to sign up.

British Chambers of Commerce

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been made available for British Chambers of Commerce trade missions in each of the last five years; and how much such funding will be available in each year up to 2015.

Mark Prisk: As the national body for a network of accredited chambers of commerce across the UK, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) does not, itself, run trade missions. However individual chambers of commerce (along with a variety of other bodies such as trade associations) do run missions, some of which utilise UK Trade and Investment's Market Visit Support (MVS) facility which provides advice and financial assistance to UK based Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The funding is targeted at the companies rather than the mission organiser. In addition, as well as providing support for these group trade missions, companies are able to undertake solo overseas market visits. While our data do not, therefore, record the funding made available to support companies joining chambers of commerce organised trade missions, the total amount of funding made available for Market Visit Support over the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 1,194,000 
			 2010-11 1,172,000 
			 2009-10 896,000 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 791,000 
			 2007-08 597,000 
		
	
	Financial support in future years will be subject to the necessary funding being made available, but the amount of MVS funding is likely to be broadly comparable with current allocations.
	The term “mission” might also be used to cover groups of companies, led by chambers of commerce, taking part in trade fairs and seminars under the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP). The total amount of funding over the past five years is as follows (which is in addition to that set out above for Market Visit Support):
	
		
			  £000 
			 2011/12 556 
			 2010/11 887 
			 2009/10 751 
			 2008/09 675 
			 2007/08 833 
		
	
	Funding for future TAP events has not yet been confirmed.

British Chambers of Commerce

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many British Chambers of Commerce trade missions UK Trade and Investment has supported in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: As the national body for a network of accredited chambers of commerce across the UK the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) does not, itself, run trade missions. Individual chambers of commerce do run missions—since 2005 through UKTI's trade development facility Market Visit Support (MVS) and before that through the Department's Horizontal Outward Missions Scheme which closed in March 2005. Approximately 150 trade missions per annum were organised and run by chambers of commerce under the Horizontal Outward Missions Scheme, although precise records are no longer available.
	With the introduction of Market Visit Support in April 2005 companies are now able to visit overseas markets on an individual basis, as well as being able to take part in organised group trade missions. Support and financial assistance is directed to eligible UK based SMEs rather than the mission organisers.
	As our funding is made to companies and not to mission organisers, we do not have records of how many missions have been organised by chambers of commerce (or other bodies such as trade associations) over the last 10 years. However, Market Visit Support has provided assistance to 2,199 companies taking part in organised group trade missions and visits since its establishment in April 2005.
	The term “mission” might also be used to cover groups of companies, lead by chambers of commerce, taking part in trade fairs and seminars under the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP), and its predecessor Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad (SESA) programme. The total number of chamber of commerce lead groups supported over the past 10 years is: 459.

Business

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to offer (a) financial and (b) other practical assistance to (i) co-operatives, (ii) financial mutuals, (iii) employee-owned businesses and (iv) credit unions; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 12 July 2012
	The Department for Innovation and Skills is leading work to promote the growth of the private employee-owned sector following an announcement by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 16 January. Following that Graeme Nuttall was appointed as the Government's independent adviser to review what needs to be done to support employee ownership.
	The Deputy Prime Minister hosted a summit on employee ownership on 4 July at which Graeme Nuttall announced his recommendations to overcome three main barriers to the growth of the sector:
	a lack of awareness;
	a lack of resources; and
	legal and regulatory complexities.
	At the summit, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the Government would offer the following practical assistance to employee-owned businesses, some of which may be co-operatives and financial mutuals:
	publish a call for evidence to develop a new 'right to request' employee ownership;
	endorsement of a sector-led institute to improve awareness of employee ownership and increase access to professional advice and services; and
	commitment to produce a 'toolkit' including model articles to improve information and advice to those setting up employee-owned businesses.
	The remainder of the recommendations in the Nuttall Review will be considered over the summer and published in a Government response through an action plan in the autumn. Some of those recommendations include financial support and there is a separate review being conducted by HM Treasury.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received money under the Start Up Loans scheme to date.

Mark Prisk: We have received over 1,000 expressions of interest from young entrepreneurs interested in starting a business and are in contact with all those who have registered providing updates and information on progress. Before loans are issued, young people will receive advice and mentoring to help them use their loans efficiently. We work towards national coverage for the scheme from September onwards. However we are working to have a number of loans, along with the accompanying mentoring and business advice, available before then.
	The Start Up Loans Company Ltd will administer the distribution of loans to young entrepreneurs. It will work with partner organisations throughout England who have the necessary capability to deliver high-quality mentoring and business advice alongside the provision of the loan. Therefore, it is necessary for the delivery partners to undergo a process of due diligence to ensure they are able to deliver the required high level of support.

Directors: Disqualification

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much it costs the Insolvency Service to send D1 reports by courier; and if he will estimate the annual cost of transmitting these forms by electronic means only.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 13 July 2012
	Insolvency practitioners pay for the costs of sending D reports to the Insolvency Service. The D reports are received in hard copy.
	The Insolvency Service sometimes uses a courier to send a D report to an Insolvency Service home worker who is vetting a case for possible further investigation and disqualification action. This is because in some cases there are many attachments enclosed with a D report which it is not practical to scan and send electronically. The cost of using couriers for this purpose is not considered large enough or sufficiently significant to justify a separate record being maintained. At present there are no plans to scan and store electronically all D reports.

Equal Pay

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether his Department has assessed the use by employment agencies of permanent contracts of employment known as Swedish Derogation contracts, as a means of avoiding the obligation to equal pay as stipulated in the Agency Workers Regulations 2010;
	(2)  what assessment he has undertaken of the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 with respect to equal pay.

Norman Lamb: Regulations implementing the agency workers directive only came into force on 1 October 2011.
	The Government continually monitors the performance of the labour market using a large variety of information sources, such as the Labour Force Survey and specific industry research.

Equal Pay

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the practice of employment agencies requiring employees to opt out of any rights to equal pay through the use of permanent contracts of employment known as Swedish Derogation contracts.

Norman Lamb: Pay between assignment contracts is covered by the Agency Worker Regulations and gives businesses and individuals the flexibility to choose the type of employment contract that best suits both parties.
	The Government has provided detailed guidance for both individuals and businesses around these types of contracts.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which universities (a) he and (b) the Minister for Universities and Science has visited in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has visited the following universities in the last 12 months:
	University of the Arts
	University of Bath
	University of Bristol
	Edinburgh University
	University of Exeter
	University College Falmouth
	University of Huddersfield
	University of Leicester
	University of Nottingham
	University of Plymouth
	Strathclyde University
	University of York
	I have visited the following universities in the last 12 months:
	University of Birmingham
	Bristol University
	University of Cambridge
	Cardiff University
	Cranfield University
	University of Dundee
	Durham University
	University of East Anglia
	University of Edinburgh
	University of Exeter
	University of Glasgow
	University of Gloucestershire
	University of Greenwich
	University of Hertfordshire
	Imperial College London
	London Metropolitan University
	London School of Economics
	London South Bank University
	University of Manchester
	University of Nottingham
	University of Oxford
	University of Portsmouth
	University of Reading
	University of Sheffield
	Southampton University
	University of Surrey
	University of Southampton
	Southampton Solent University
	Teesside University
	University College London
	University of Warwick
	University of the West of England
	Overseas:
	Bilkent University
	University of California
	Hacettepe University
	Harvard University
	Indian Institute of Management
	Indian Institute of Science
	Istanbul Technical University
	King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
	University of Kurdistan Hawler
	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
	Middle East Technical University
	Sciences Po
	Stanford University

Higher Education: VAT

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the review of VAT exemption for commercial providers of higher education.

David Willetts: The Department is in regular contact with both the Treasury and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs on this issue.

Industry: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the (a) manufacturing and (b) construction sector in Scotland.

Mark Prisk: There have been no recent discussions at ministerial level about these specific issues with the Scottish Government but BIS officials are in regular contact with officials in the Scottish Government on a wide-range of issues affecting the manufacturing and construction sectors.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much private investment was provided through the Enterprise Capital Funds scheme in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

Mark Prisk: Enterprise Capital Funds invested a total of £35.01 million in 2010, £36.56 million in 2011 and £12.8 million between 1 January and 31 March 2012. The funds are commercially managed and fund managers report on total investment in small and medium sized enterprises, not the split between Government and private investment.
	Enterprise Capital Funds use public money to leverage private sector investment into the equity gap, providing equity finance for early stage companies with the potential for high growth. Since the programme started in 2006, £146.8 million has been invested by funds, of which £74.1 million has been invested since May 2010.

New Businesses: Kent

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of his Department’s provision of support for business start-ups in (a) Maidstone and the Weald constituency and (b) Kent.

Mark Prisk: In the current climate, it is essential that we invest to make services provided by the Government, including those aimed at supporting start-ups, as efficient and effective as possible. We need to focus on investing to support businesses with the potential to grow and lead the way to economic recovery and it is important that we concentrate on where we are best placed to add value and let the private and voluntary sectors play their part.
	Over the last year we have re-shaped the business support landscape, enabling businesses to find the information and advice that they need to start up and grow. These changes have included an improved business link website at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	with tailored information and advice aimed at start-ups through MyNewBusiness, access to mentors via a new mentoring portal at:
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	and targeted help for high growth potential small businesses through GrowthAccelerator at:
	www.growthaccelerator.com
	Together these changes are creating a more efficient, cost-effective and improved service. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these support measures and will continue to engage with the small business representative bodies and with the private sector through initiatives such as Start-Up Britain to better understand the needs of start-ups and how we can best support them.
	Specifically within Kent, Kent county council has been awarded £35 million from the Government’s regional growth fund to provide support for businesses in east Kent through its Expansion East Kent programme.

Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for which services (a) his Department and (b) the bodies for which he is responsible hold contracts with the Post Office; and what the (i) start and (ii) termination date is of each such contract.

Norman Lamb: The range of services that Departments choose to contract out for others to deliver will depend in part on the services that they themselves are responsible for delivering to citizens. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no contracts with the Post Office for delivery of services but has a £1.34 billion funding package in place for post office network investment and subsidy to 2015. This agreement ensures that the Post Office provides a network of a minimum of 11,500 outlets, which meets strict geographic access criteria. Post Office Ltd has been selected as a subcontractor in providing learner identity assurance services, following a tender by the Skills Funding Agency. The contract started in October 2011 and ends in September 2014.

Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on reinstating the long-term plan for science.

David Willetts: The Coalition Government is committed to investing in science and innovation as part of the strategy for growth, and has made significant commitments to research and innovation funding despite difficult economic circumstances. The Government has maintained science and research programme funding of £4.6 billion per annum within a ring-fence over the spending review period to provide certainty for the community. In addition, it allocated £1.9 billion research capital in December 2010, and a further £570 million since then, for investment in areas of science such as high performance computing and science campuses.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills receives regular representations from stakeholders, including the Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK (CaSE), about the need for long term stability in science and research funding.

Students: Loans

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department is making on developing alternatives to the student loans system for Muslim students for whom the charging of real rates of interest is not compatible with Sharia law.

David Willetts: The Government wants a single student loan system which can meet the needs of all students where possible. The student finance system must treat borrowers equally. Any alternative finance system will have to deliver the same financial result to both the student and Government as under the conventional system. It is only the mechanism of how the support is provided that would differ. Any students, regardless of their religion would be able to take the alternative finance option rather than a standard student loan
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has identified a possible alternative system that would use a commodity-based murabaha to generate funding for the student. This system could provide a student with the same level of financial support and produce identical repayments as conventional student loans. However, there are several major issues to be overcome with the use of a murabaha which include need for primary legislation and the treatment of VAT and tax.

Students: Loans

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will estimate the effect of the time taken to develop a Sharia-compliant student loan product on the take-up of university places in the UK by Muslim students;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to collect data on the likely take-up rate by potential students of an alternative system for student loans which was Sharia-compliant and on the number of students likely to be affected.

David Willetts: There is currently no readily available information on how many Muslim students may choose not to take out a student loan on the grounds that real interest rates would be charged.
	However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned research by TNS-BMRB and by OpinionPanel to investigate the impact of real interest rates on the future take up of further education loans. The TNS-BMRB research concluded that most Muslim respondents were comfortable with the rate of interest to be charged, but felt that it would deter some other people. The OpinionPanel survey found that only 2.5% of all those surveyed thought they might face barriers, problems or issues relating to race, religion or belief, as a result of the introduction of FE loans.
	BIS is planning to undertake further surveys later in the year, which will include analysis of attitudes to student finance and the payment of real interest rates.

Technology and Innovation Centres

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 30 January 2012, Official Report, columns 465-6W, on technology and innovation centres, what recent progress has been made on governance and oversight arrangements for the national network of catapult centres; what the membership is of the Oversight Committee; and what meetings it has held since his answer.

David Willetts: The Oversight Committee has met on two occasions since January 2012 and discussed the overall progress of the Catapult programme, the business plan put forward by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, proposals for monitoring the impact of the network over time, proposals for the international engagement of the programme and the emerging vision and business models for the Cell Therapy, Offshore Renewable Energy and Satellite Applications Catapults.
	The committee has been strengthened by the addition of international representation and the current membership is:
	David Grant, chair ( Vice Chancellor Cardiff university ),
	Mike Short (VP Public Affairs Telefonica 02 and President IET),
	Martin Temple (chair, EEF and Design Council),
	Trudy Norris-Grey (CBI Innovation Committee),
	Dame Sue Ion (ex BNFL and CST),
	Rachel Sandby Thomas (Director General BIS)
	Steve Visscher (Chief Operating Officer, BBSRC)
	Jean-Charles Guibert (Director of Technology Transfer CEA and head of Minatec Grenoble France).

Technology and Innovation Centres

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure small businesses are aware of the services offered by catapult centres.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board has a comprehensive communication programme to make small businesses, and large business, aware of the emerging capabilities of the Catapult centres. During the set-up phase for each Catapult the Technology Strategy Board is actively engaging with small and medium sized enterprises as they shape the scope and operating model of each centre and, in addition, as the Catapult centres become established each will ensure that they widely communicate their capabilities to small businesses.

HEALTH

Air Ambulance Services: Taxation

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury of 11 July 2012, Official Report, column 411, whether his Department's review of the position of charities providing NHS services will consider the tax position of air ambulance services; and when he expects the review to report.

Simon Burns: Section 8 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 places a requirement on the Secretary of State for Health to undertake a statutory review of matters that may be constraining the ability of different organisations to provide NHS services. On seeking advice the Secretary of State for Health commissioned Monitor to undertake the review on his behalf.
	The review will be broad in scope and be open to looking at any issues raised, and cover all types sizes of providers.
	Monitor launched the review on 14 June with a call for evidence to inform the scope. To ensure the impartiality of the review it would not be appropriate to make commitments as to what is included in the review as this will be a matter for Monitor based on the evidence gathered and engagement held with the sector.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament on or before the 31 March 2013.

Assets

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Simon Burns: The Department did not sell and lease back any assets in the last 12 months.

Care Homes

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure care homes cannot use a diagnosis of requiring continuing nursing care as a reason to levy top up fees in addition to any extra state funding received.

Paul Burstow: Under the provisions of the national health service Act 2006, top up fees are not permitted in the package of care arranged and funded under NHS continuing health care arrangements, where the additional payment relates to core health services covered by the fee negotiated with the service provider as part of the contract.
	Where patients or their relatives seek additional services that are unrelated to the patient's primary health care needs as assessed under the National Framework for NHS continuing health care and NHS funded nursing care, this would be the subject of a private contract between the patient and any relevant suppliers.

Care Homes

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will develop a clear rating scheme for care homes.

Paul Burstow: As announced in the White Paper, “Caring for our future: reforming care and support”, published on 11 July, the Government is committed to developing provider quality profiles (PQPs). These will be in the form of an online service, where people can see and easily compare a range of information from different sources about the quality of care at every registered care home and home care service in the country.
	PQPs will make it easier for people to find high quality care, wherever they or their loved ones live. They will bring much needed transparency to the quality of care people can expect from a care provider. They will provide a strong incentive for providers to focus on continuous improvement and give them the opportunity to demonstrate their reputation nationally.
	When making a choice between different care providers, people want to be able to compare them quickly before getting into the detail of the quality of different options. Within 12 months, the Government will enable open access to the data on the provider quality profile, to support the production of independent quality ratings that are easy to understand and continually updated.
	The Department will work with trusted organisations which are already making progress in this area and with potential new providers, to grow and develop a range of care comparison websites over the next two years.
	The first phase of PQPs will launch this month at:
	www.nhs.uk
	The second phase will launch in April 2013.

Carers

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to support unpaid carers with their rest, health and employment.

Paul Burstow: Enabling those with caring responsibilities to fulfil their educational and employment potential and supporting them to remain mentally and physically well are among the key priorities of the coalition Government's carers strategy, ‘Recognised, valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers Strategy’.
	We are pursuing these through a number of initiatives, as follows:
	We have provided additional funding of £400 million to the national health service between 2011 and 2015 to support carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities;
	The Department published its draft mandate to the National Health Service Commissioning Board for consultation on 4 July. It includes an objective about improving the support that carers receive from the national health service;
	Following a summit on 21 June with the Government and Employers for Carers to explore ways in which carers can be further supported to remain in employment. We are planning further work to develop the evidence base, looking at national and international evidence on how carers can be better supported to remain in employment;
	And most recently, the Care and Support White Paper, together with the draft Care and Support Bill, which the Government published on 11 July, sets out the Government's plans for the biggest transformation of care and support since 1948. This is an historic step forward in relation to carers for the first time, as the draft Bill includes provision for a new duty on local authorities to meet carers' eligible needs for support, putting them on the same footing as the people they care for.

Carers’ Benefits

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what time scale he has set for delivering a review of carer’s benefit.

Paul Burstow: We are interpreting carers’ benefits to mean support from local authority social care services.
	On 11 July, the Government published the Care and Support White Paper, together with the draft Care and Support Bill, which set out the Government’s plans for the biggest transformation of care and support since 1948. This is an historic step forward in relation to carers, as for the first time, the draft Bill includes provision for a new duty on local authorities to meet carers’ eligible needs for support, ensuring they are better supported in their caring role.
	The draft Bill will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS). Alongside the PLS process, the Government will work with stakeholders to discuss the provisions in the draft Bill, take feedback and consider the way forward. We welcome any comments on the draft clauses by 19 October.

Chronic Illnesses: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients had chronic medical conditions in the London borough of Bexley in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people had (a) Type 1 and (b) Type 2 diabetes in the London borough of Bexley in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Information is not available in the format requested.
	‘Chronic medical conditions' is a very broad term that might apply to many different medical conditions. Information about patients with chronic medical conditions cannot be provided without further specification of the chronic conditions required.
	We cannot precisely answer as stated but we can provide the number of registered diabetes patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes present in the 2010-11 National Diabetes Audit (NDA) in Bexley Primary Care Trust.
	The following table shows how many registrations for patients of all ages from primary and secondary care with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes from the 2010-11 audit period for Bexley PCT.
	
		
			 Diabetes type Total registrations 
			 Type 1 829 
			 Type 2 9,753 
			 All diabetes 10,838 
			 Note: All diabetes includes maturity onset diabetes of the young, other specified and unspecified diabetes. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	Participation in the NDA, which audits diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care, is not mandatory. The NDA does not have 100% coverage or participation and therefore cannot accurately provide the information required. NDA 2010-11 comprised data from 2.15 million persons with diabetes in England. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) states there are approximately 2.46 million persons aged 17 or over with diabetes in England alone. However, QOF data are an aggregate return so do not contain the detail required to respond to this question. NDA 2010-11 comprised data from 6,774 practices in England. There are over 8,100 practices in England. Bexley PCT had 100% practice participation in the 2010-11 NDA.

Complementary Medicine

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported cases there have been of adverse reactions to unlicensed homeopathic medicines in the last 10 years; and how many such medicines have been withdrawn from the market in that time.

Simon Burns: Reports of ‘suspected’ adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects suspected ADR reports from the whole United Kingdom in relation to all medicines, including those which are prescription only, over-the-counter or available from general retail sales outlets, and medicines which are unlicensed; this includes homeopathic medicines.
	Reports of suspected ADRs to homeopathic medicines have been recorded on our database since 2006. The following table provides a breakdown of UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports relating to homeopathic, medicines by year.
	
		
			 Year of receipt Total number of homeopathic reports 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 0 
			 2009 2 
			 2010 4 
			 2011 4 
			 2012(1) 1 
			 Total 13 
			 (1) 2012 data include ADR reports received between 1 January 2012 and 31 May 2012 inclusive. 
		
	
	It should be noted that health care professionals are asked to report suspected adverse reactions on a voluntary basis and the submission of a report does not mean that the reaction cited was definitely caused by the medicine. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease being treated.
	The number of reports received via the Yellow Card scheme does not directly equate to the number of people who suffer adverse reactions to medicines in the general population as this scheme is associated with an unknown level of under-reporting. A specific factor with under-reporting of herbal and homeopathic medicines is that health care professionals often may not be aware if their patients have been taking these products.
	The MHRA has not withdrawn any homeopathic medicines from the market due to safety concerns in the past 10 years.

Contraceptives

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of restrictions in access to contraception services; and how he plans to ensure that all women of all ages have a choice of contraception.

Anne Milton: The Department expects the national health service to offer comprehensive access to contraception services and free supplies of all methods of contraception.
	This autumn the Department will set out plans to improve sexual health services and from next April contraceptive services will be commissioned as part of new arrangements for public health services by local authorities (LAs).
	LAs will be mandated to commission comprehensive open access contraception services and access to all methods of contraception for people of all ages, funded for the first time from new ring-fenced public health budgets.

Diabetes

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS funding was allocated for the provision of insulin pumps to (a) all diabetics and (b) diabetics aged 18 or under in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2010, (v) 2011 and (vi) 2012 to date.

Paul Burstow: This information is not collected centrally.

Diabetes

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many insulin pumps were issued in England and Wales to (a) all diabetics and (b) diabetics age 18 or under in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2010, (v) 2011 and (vi) 2012 to date.

Paul Burstow: This information is not collected centrally.
	However, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologist, Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation with support from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have sponsored a United Kingdom-wide audit. The audit will establish data on numbers and types of insulin pump starts.
	The organisational-level data collection was conducted in May 2012 and the patient-level data collection will take place later in the year. NHS Diabetes will work to support organisations in delivering their services following the outcomes of these audits.

Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 88W, on diabetes, if he will publish the minutes of the Diabetes Advisory Group meeting held on 21 June 2012.

Paul Burstow: The minutes of the first meeting of the Diabetes Advisory Group held on 21 June 2012 will be published once the Long Term Conditions Outcome Strategy and the companion document on diabetes has been published. This is anticipated to be towards the end of 2012.

Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 88W, on diabetes, what the (a) terms of reference are and (b) membership is of the Diabetes Advisory Group; and when the Group is next due to meet.

Paul Burstow: The terms of reference for the Diabetes Advisory Group (DiAG) are currently being finalised by the working group. It is anticipated that they will be confirmed and signed off by DiAG at their next meeting. The exact date has yet to be agreed, but will be in August 2012. We will publish the final terms of reference by the end of August 2012, and place a copy in the Library.
	The membership of the DiAG is as follows:
	
		
			 Name Organisation 
			 Professor George Alberti Chair, Diabetes UK 
			 Professor Andrew Boulton President, European Association for the Study of Diabetes 
			 Dr A C (Felix) Burden Clinical director for long term conditions, Birmingham and Solihull + non-executive director of Sandwell and West Birmingham Community group 
			 Dr Fiona Campbell Association of Childhood Diabetes Clinicians + British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes 
			 NC Patient with diabetes 
			 Candice Ward British Dietetic Association 
			 Angus Forbes Professor of Diabetes Nursing, Kings College London 
			 Dr Roger Gadsby GP lead for National Diabetes Audit, National Clinical Lead for Primary Care—NHS Diabetes Primary Care Diabetes Society 
			 Dr. Rowan Hillson National Clinical Director for Diabetes Chair of DiAG 
			 Professor Richard Holt Chair of the Council of Health Care Professionals of Diabetes UK 
			 June James Training Research and Education for Nurses in Diabetes 
			 Dr Sheba Jarvis Department of Health Registrar in diabetes 
			 Sarah Johnson Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 
			 Dr Stephen Lawrence Royal College of Physicians, Diabetes lead Primary care advisor for Diabetes UK 
			 Anna Morton NHS Diabetes—Director 
		
	
	
		
			 Rebecca Molyneux Department of Health Long Term Conditions 
			 Dr Catherine Perry Royal College of Physicians, Specialist Training Committee 
			 Professor Gerry Rayman National clinical lead for in-patient care—NHS Diabetes 
			 Professor Peter Scanlon Programme director for English National Diabetic Retinopathy screening programme 
			 Professor Cliff Shearman Vascular Surgery, Southampton University Hospitals 
			 Professor Alan Sinclair Institute of Diabetes in Older People + National clinical lead for Diabetes in Older People—NHS Diabetes 
			 South Asian Health Foundation's Diabetes Working Group Chair South Asian Health Foundation 
			 Avril Surridge Patient with diabetes 
			 Karen Thomsett Department of Health Diabetes and Kidney Policy lead 
			 Bridget Turner Head of Policy and Care Improvement, Diabetes UK 
			 Dr Chris Walton Chair Association of British Clinical Diabetologists 
			 Heather White Department of Health Cardiovascular disease policy lead 
			 Dame Barbara Young Chief Executive, Diabetes UK 
			 Dr Bob Young Clinical Lead National Diabetes Information Service

Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2012, Official Report, column 840W, on diabetes, when he expects to receive confirmation of the development of best practice tariffs for diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia in adults; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department's Payment by Results team is currently developing a number of new best practice tariffs planned for introduction in April 2013, including diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia in adults. Draft tariffs will be shared with a number of clinicians and national health service organisations in the autumn for checking, prior to the publication of the proposed 2013-14 tariff arrangements in December to enable organisations to plan for implementation.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements through the EU food supplements directive.

Anne Milton: European Union Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements provides for the future establishment of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals used in these foods. Our view remains that any future discussions need to ensure that the legislation is proportionate and based on evidence, so that consumers have confidence in what they buy, while maintaining a wide choice of safe products.
	The European Commission has given no indication of when negotiations will commence on the drafting of rules in this area.

Drugs: Driving Under Influence

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings his Department has had with other Government departments to discuss the effect of proposed drug driving legislation on people using pain management; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Departmental officials are working closely with the Department for Transport and other Government Departments to develop legislation aimed at reducing drug-impaired driving, while ensuring that people have access to the medicines that they need.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had contact with drug rehabilitation treatments with a duration of (a) up to three years, (b) between three and five years, (c) between five and 10 years and (d) longer than 10 years between 1997 and 2010.

Anne Milton: The available information is shown in the following table which is reproduced from pages 27 and 28 of Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 Vol. 1: The Numbers published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse on 6 October 2011 and available at:
	www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/statisticsfromndtms201011vollthenumbers.pdf
	This table presents an analysis of treatment histories for individuals across six years of treatment data starting from 2005-06 (the furthest back NDTMS data are considered to be sufficiently robust for comparison with subsequent years).
	The table reports all adults that have been in contact with treatment on or after 1 April 2005. The table is split into three sections:
	The first section reports the number of individuals that start treatment in any given year after 1 April 2005 and who are in treatment on 31 March 2011.
	The second section reports all clients who were in contact with treatment in any given year after 1 April 2005 and reports the number of these from each year who were not in treatment on 31 March 2011, and whose records indicated that treatment was incomplete at the time of discharge. (Treatment incomplete).
	The third section looks at all clients who were in contact with the treatment system on or after 1 April 2005 and who are no longer in contact with the treatment system due to completing their treatment and being discharged in a planned way. (Treatment complete).
	
		
			 Table: Six year treatment population first presentation and treatment contact status at 31 March 2011 
			  Year of first presentation 
			 Category Prior to 2005-06 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total % 
			 Clients retained in treatment on 31 March 2011          
			 Continuous journey 21,193 5,621 4,242 4,382 4,855 5,708 13,143 59,144 — 
			 Two journeys since first presentation 11,695 6,137 4,457 3,734 3,269 2,411 918 32,621 — 
			 Three journeys since first presentation 7,183 5,081 3,003 2,039 1,316 533 57 19,212 — 
			 More than three journeys since first presentation 9,370 7,790 3,393 1,422 554 107 7 22,643 — 
			 Retained at 31 March 2011 49,441 24,629 15,095 11,577 9,994 8,759 14,125 133,620 39 
			           
			 No longer in treatment having exited, treatment incomplete          
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2005-06 7,250 10,121 0 0 0 0 0 17,371 — 
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2006-07 3,224 5,552 8,935 0 0 0 0 17,711 — 
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2007-08 2,929 2,580 4,946 8,420 0 0 0 18,875 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2008-09 2,435 1,935 1,984 4,616 7,715 0 0 18,685 — 
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2009-10 2,947 2,563 2,112 2,222 4,602 6,815 0 21,261 — 
			 Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2010-11 4,543 4,314 3,053 2,697 2,664 4,907 6,737 28,915 — 
			 Subtotal exited (treatment incomplete) 23,328 27,065 21,030 17,955 14,981 11,722 6,737 122,818 36 
			           
			 No longer incontact having exited, treatment complete          
			 Treatment complete in 2005-06 3,259 2,920 0 0 0 0 0 6,179 — 
			 Treatment complete in 2006-07 1,815 3,064 3,567 0 0 0 0 8,446 — 
			 Treatment complete in 2007-08 1,668 1,535 3,732 4,528 0 0 0 11,463 — 
			 Treatment complete in 2008-09 1,884 1,668 1,773 5,382 6,046 0 0 16,753 — 
			 Treatment complete in 2009-10 1,895 1,529 1,291 1,705 5,019 6,137 0 17,576 — 
			 Treatment complete in 2010-11 2,895 2,354 1,869 1,926 2,381 6,028 7,433 24,886 — 
			 Subtotal treatment complete 13,416 13,070 12,232 13,541 13,446 12,165 7,433 85,303 25 
			           
			 Total clients in treatment since 1 April 2005 86,185 64,764 48,357 43,073 38,421 32,646 28,295 341,741 100

Drugs: Safety

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many licensed pharmaceutical drugs have been withdrawn from the market in the last 10 years due to safety concerns.

Simon Burns: One of the roles of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is to monitor the safety of all medicines in the United Kingdom throughout their marketed life. This process is known as pharmacovigilance and enables us to identify previously unrecognised safety hazards.
	When a potential drug safety hazard is identified, an assessment of the risks and benefits of the medicine is undertaken to determine what action, if any, is necessary. The objective of regulatory action is to ensure that the benefits of the medicine continue to outweigh risks, by restricting indications for use, adding contraindications, warnings or precautions, or additional information about adverse effects. Only when risk minimisation measures are considered unlikely to be effective in maintaining a positive benefit risk balance is withdrawal from the market necessary.
	The following table lists medicines that have been withdrawn from the UK market by the company or by the licensing authority over the past 10 years due to safety reasons.
	
		
			 Table of medicines that have been withdrawn in the UK since 2002 due to safety concerns 
			 Drug substance (brand name) Year action taken Major safety concerns 
			 Drotrecogin alpha (Xigris) 2011 New clinical trial findings of lack of efficacy 
		
	
	
		
			 SitaXentan (Thelin) 2011 Worldwide withdrawal from the market due to liver toxicity 
			 Rosiglitazone (Avandia, Avandamet) 2010 Increased cardiovascular risk 
			 Orciprenaline sulphate (Alupent) 2010 Review showed less efficacious, than other more-specific ß2-gonists and associated with a higher incidence of side effects 
			 Sibutramine (Reductil) 2010 Increased cardiovascular disease risk 
			 Efalizumab (Raptiva) 2009 Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy 
			 Rimonabant (Acomplia) 2008 Psychiatric reactions 
			 Carisoprodol (Carisoma) 2008 Risk of abuse, addiction, intoxication, and psychomotor impairment 
			 Lumiracoxib (Prexige) 2007 Liver toxicity 
			 Aprotinin (Trasylol) 2007 Increased mortality in cardiac surgery 
			 Co-proxamol 2007 Toxicity in overdose 
			 Valdecoxib (Bextra) 2005 Serious skin reactions 
			 Rofecoxib (Vioxx) 2004 Myocardial infarction/stroke 
			 Kava kava 2003 Liver toxicity

Ex Gratia Payments

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the monetary value of ex gratia payments made through schemes administered by his Department in the last two years.

Simon Burns: The total value of all ex gratia payments made in 2009-10 was £28,640,547 and in 2010-11 was £4,399,903.
	As the Department's 2011-12 year end position is not yet finalised, the answer includes information for 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Department's Resource Account for 2011-12 is due to be published in the autumn and any individual payments greater than £250,000 are included as notes to the published resource account.

Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) the NHS and (b) his Department spent on petrol and diesel costs in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs worked (a) fewer than 10 hours per week, (b) between 10 and 24 hours per week, (c) between 24 hours and 48 hours per week and (d) more than 48 hours per week in each financial year since 1997-98; and what proportion of GPs each figure represents.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. However, the “Sixth National GP Work Life Survey Final Report” conducted by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC) in June 2011 on working conditions and job satisfaction of general practitioners (GPs) remains the most up to date evidence in measuring GP working hours based on a sample of 3,000 general medical practitioners (in England).
	This showed:
	Average working hours were 41.4 hours per week, unchanged from the previous 2009 survey. There were also significantly fewer GPs undertaking out-of-hours work in 2010, declining from 32% to 21%.
	A copy of the NPCRDC report has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of GP practices in each primary care trust area offered extended opening hours in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs had an income before tax of (a) more than £100,000 but less than £250,000, (b) more than £250,000 but less than £500,000 and (c) more than £500,000 per year in each financial year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. However, the Health and Social Care Information Centre collects information on average general practitioner (GP) contractor earnings before tax, which is published at United Kingdom only level and which provides reliable estimates of the number of GP contractors earning below £100,000 per annum, between £100,000 to £250,000 and above £250,000 per annum. The information is published as part of their GP Earnings and Expenses—time series 2002-03 to 2009-10. Summary details are contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Income before tax general and personal medical services contractors (UK) 
			  <=£100,000 £100,000 to =<£250,000 >£250,000 
			 2004-05 15,668 18,018 202 
			 2005-06 14,343 19,226 307 
			 2006-07 15,435 18,194 258 
			 2007-08 15,920 17,440 260 
			 2008-09 16,340 16,800 250 
			 2009-10 15,690 17,150 210 
		
	
	A table showing full details by available bandings has been placed in the Library. Data for all banding categories over £500,000 and all years figures prior to 2004-05 are not available.

Health Services: Older People

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure older people's hospital wards have the same staffing levels as wards not specifically catering for older people.

Simon Burns: Decisions about staffing requirements are best made by local clinicians and managers, and will vary according to the individual needs of patients.
	Where organisations are planning or experience changes, including changes to the balance and skill-mix of the work force, this must be safety and quality assured so that there are no adverse affect on patients. The process should include clinical involvement, leadership and sign-off.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) requires registered providers to take appropriate steps to ensure that, at all times, there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons employed for the purpose of carrying on the regulated activity. CQC Guidance about Compliance, references guidance set out by, for example, professional bodies.

Health Services: Older People

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages for the Nursing and Care Quality Forum in facilitating cross fertilisation of knowledge and experience between care home and hospital staff.

Anne Milton: The independent Nursing and Care Quality Forum has set out their Mission Statement. This states its aim to help all those involved in providing nursing and care to:
	“deliver the fundamental elements of good care—compassion, dignity, respect and safety—first time, every time and to everyone and achieve their ambition of providing the very highest quality of care through supporting the adoption of best practice and promoting innovation.”
	The Mission Statement also clarifies the forum's role across “all care settings”.

Health Services: Older People

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he took of the findings of the 2011 report by the Health Service Ombudsman on investigations into NHS care of older people in developing measures for inclusion in his forthcoming White Paper on social care.

Paul Burstow: The White Paper “Caring for our future: reforming care and support” was published in July 2012, following a public engagement in 2011. Specifically, the White Paper outlines the Government's next steps on areas such as prevention of falls, end of life care, and dignity in care, all of which were raised in the Ombudsman's report.

Healthcare Assistants: Registration

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend the registration and regulation of doctors and nurses to health care assistants.

Anne Milton: The Government's view is that regulation must be proportionate and effective, imposing the least cost and complexity consistent with securing safety and public confidence for patients. We do not believe the case for the compulsory statutory regulation of health care support workers has been made, given the existing tiers of regulation that protect patients and service users, such as the vetting and barring scheme.
	However, we recognise that there is a need to improve standards and we have commissioned Skills for Health and Skills for Care to develop a code of conduct and minimum training standards for health care support workers and adult social care workers in England. The final report, including the proposed code and standards, is due in early 2013.
	We would expect these codes and standards to form the basis of a voluntary register for health care assistants which would set standards for training, conduct, competence and ethics that all registrants must meet and which could be in place by 2013.

Healthwatch England

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Care Quality Commission (CQC) (Healthwatch England Committee) Regulations 2012 specify that the Chair of CQC needs to be consulted on the appointment of the first members of the Healthwatch England Committee; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this provision on the independence of Healthwatch England.

Simon Burns: This is an interim arrangement; Healthwatch England will need to be established on 1 October 2012, with a committee in place. This means that the appointments process must begin before 1 October 2012, to ensure that there is a committee on the start date. However, as Healthwatch England will not yet legally exist, the Healthwatch England Chair must seek the support of the Chair of the CQC to make the appointment decisions. This interim arrangement should not impact on the independence of Healthwatch England. After 1 October, ie once the organisation is legally established, the Healthwatch England Chair will have sole responsibility for the appointment of the committee.

Home Care Services

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve and monitor training for care workers employed to conduct home visits and other care workers.

Paul Burstow: On 11 July the Government published the White Paper ‘Caring for our Future: Reforming Care and Support’ setting out a new vision for a reformed care and support system. This identifies a number of measures to drive up standards including through a code of conduct and minimum training standards for health care support workers and adult social care workers in England. Our expectation is that the standards would be used by an assured voluntary register, as part of its standards for inclusion on the register. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will play a key role in ensuring that providers enforce quality standards through the use of appropriately trained and qualified workers. The training standards and the code of conduct will set a clear national benchmark around training standards for adult social care workers and health support workers, which we would expect the CQC to take into account as part of its registration and inspection processes.

Hospitals: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 149W, on hospitals, how many people waiting for treatment had been on a waiting list for (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 18 months or more at (i) Northwick Park Hospital, (ii) Hillington Hospital, (iii) St Mary's Hospital, Paddington and (iv) Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in February (A) 2010 and (B) 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information required is not held in the format requested. Information on referral to treatment times for February 2010 to February 2012, provided by trusts responsible for Northwick Park hospital, Hillingdon hospital and Chelsea and Westminster hospital is shown in the following table. No recent information is available for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust which is responsible for St Mary's hospital, Paddington. There are no data available on patients waiting longer than 18 months.
	
		
			  February 2010 February 2011 February 2012 
			 Provider name 26 weeks or more 52 weeks or more 26 weeks or more 52 weeks or more 26 weeks or more 52 weeks or more 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 16 2 79 3 52 0 
			 Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3,989 1,432 988 118 445 0 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 579 12 1,301 144 502 9 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 1,894 341 3,664 357 n/a n/a 
			 Source: Unify2 data collection—RTT.

Hospitals: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, columns 338-40W, on accident and emergency departments, how many people waited for more than (a) two hours and (b) four hours to be seen by accident and emergency staff at (i) Northwick Park Hospital, (ii) Hillington Hospital, (iii) St Mary's Hospital, Paddington and (iv) Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information is not held in the format requested. Information is available at trust level. The total number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for April 2011 to February 2012 is shown in the following table. This is provisional and therefore subject to change.
	
		
			 Trust name Total A&E attendances 0 to 120 minutes to departure 121 to 240 minutes to departure Over 240 minutes Unknown 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 98,930 44,124 52,296 2,510 — 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 105,286 50,568 51,816 2,501 401 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 113,370 31,876 72,357 9,137 — 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 245,497 110,403 104,495 14,488 16,111 
			 Notes: 1. The total amount of time spent in the A&E department is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A&E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged - referred to another specialist department. 2. The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics collated by the NHS Information Centre.

Hospitals: Staff

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the number of hospital medical secretariat in England whose posts have been (i) abolished and (ii) downgraded from grade five to grade four or grade three and (b) the number of hospital staff posts in England at grade six and above in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Kidney Disease

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and (b) autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Information on the numbers of people with autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease is not collected centrally. However, we do collect the number of finished hospital admissions(1) with a primary diagnosis of autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease(2) or an unspecified polycystic kidney disease. For 2010-11 these are as follows:
	Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: 577
	Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease: 106
	Unspecified polycystic kidney disease: 417.
	These are figures for admissions to hospital for treatment for polycystic kidney disease and are not a count of people who have the disease but did not require admission to hospital, nor are they a count of people as the same person may have been admitted more than once in a year.
	Please read the following notes when interpreting these data:
	(1) Finished admission episodes
	A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	(2) Primary diagnosis
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.
	The ICD10 codes used are as follows:
	Q61.1 Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease
	Q61.2 Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
	Q61.3 Unspecified polycystic kidney disease

Kidney Disease

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department made available for research into polycystic kidney disease in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including polycystic kidney disease (PKD). These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
	The NIHR is not currently funding any research with a specific focus on PKD, but is funding research relevant to treating associated symptoms and kidney failure.
	The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently hosting three industry-sponsored studies in PKD.

Kidney Disease

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the development of treatment for people with polycystic kidney disease in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Treatment for people with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is similar to treatment for people with other kinds of kidney disease and, dependent on the stage of the disease, includes treatment for complications such as anaemia and bone mineral disorders as well as a kidney transplant or dialysis.
	The Renal National Service Framework (NSF), published in two parts in 2004 and 2005, identified standards and markers of good practice to help the national health service reduce the development and progression of chronic kidney disease, including PKD. NHS Kidney Care has been helping the NHS implement the NSF. We also understand that clinical trials of potential treatments for PKD involving some patients and investigators from the United Kingdom are currently under way.

Medical Treatments: Research

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to his Department has been of every project undertaken by the Health Technology Assessment Programme; when each project was commissioned; and what the name of each project was.

Simon Burns: Details of published and ongoing research projects funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme, including cost, start date and title, are available on the programme website at
	www.hta.ac.uk

NHS: Correspondence

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which hospital trusts in England currently send consultants’ letters electronically to the Indian subcontinent for typing and return to the UK for printing, editing and signature; what estimate he has made of the number of such letters that were sent in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what comparative assessment he has made of the average time taken for a letter dictated by a hospital consultant to be (a) typed by a medical secretary in-house, checked, signed and posted and (b) sent electronically to India, typed, returned to the UK, edited, checked, signed and posted; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on hospital trusts in England who send consultants’ letters electronically to the Indian subcontinent for typing and return to the United Kingdom for printing, editing and signature. Individual trusts would hold this information.

NHS: Drugs

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to reduce wastage of drugs.

Simon Burns: Following publication of the research into the scale, causes and cost of waste medicines in England in November 2010, the Department and key interested parties took part in a round table event hosted by the King's Fund in January 2011 to consider practical next steps that could be taken, either nationally or locally, to reduce the amount of waste medicines in the national health service.
	There was agreement among all who attended that medicines wastage is a serious issue for the NHS and that action must be taken to tackle avoidable wastage of medicines as well as optimising medicines use to improve health outcomes.
	As a result, a steering group to improve the use of medicines and reduce waste was set up last year and tasked with developing an action plan. The group is now finalising its conclusions, which are expected later this year.

NHS: Drugs

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the capacity for use of unused, in-date, seal-intact drugs returned to pharmacies.

Simon Burns: The Government do not promote the reuse of medicines returned by patients in this country, as it is not possible to guarantee the quality of a returned medicine by physical inspection alone.
	This is in line with the World Health Organisation's guidelines, which recommend that no drugs should be reused that have been issued to patients, and then returned to a pharmacy.

NHS: Finance

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he plans to allocate for (a) clinical networks and (b) cancer networks in 2013-14.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board Authority will publish its proposals for clinical networks in the new health system, including details of the funding arrangements for networks in 2013-14, by the end of July.

NHS: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed by the NHS earn more than £65,738 per annum.

Simon Burns: Information is not held centrally on the salaries of national health service staff.
	The Government Actuary's Department estimate that, as at 31 March 2010, 90,000 NHS Pension Scheme members had whole time equivalent pensionable pay of over £66,000 per annum.

NHS: Pay

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the highest level of pensionable pay in the NHS was for (a) consultants, (b) GPs, (c) senior managers and (d) other managers in each financial year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: This information requested for years 1997 onwards is not available. Data collected by NHS Pensions are not broken down into occupational groups and would involve disproportionate costs in order obtain this level of data.

NHS: Standards

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce national care outcome standards in England.

Paul Burstow: In March 2011, the Department launched the first Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, which was updated for this year in March. The framework, which has been developed jointly by the Department and local government, is a set of robust, comparable measures of social care outcomes for people who use care and support services in England, and carers. The framework measures the success of the adult social care system in delivering high quality care services in which people have a positive experience of their care and support, and are supported to achieve better outcomes. The framework for 2013-14 will be published in the autumn, to align with the publication of updated NHS and public health outcomes frameworks.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the current chief executive of the North Cumbria University Trust will be retained after the appointment of the new acting chief executive; and how much he will be paid.

Simon Burns: These are matters for the national health service locally.
	The hon. Member may wish to contact the chair at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust about this issue.

Obesity: Children

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce levels of childhood obesity.

Anne Milton: The Government published “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England” in October 2011. This sets out how obesity among children will be reduced in the new public health and national health service systems, and the role of key partners.
	The Government have set a new national ambition for reversing the trend in the level of excess weight in children by 2020. The “Call to action” sets out a number of initiatives to reduce childhood obesity: this includes the Change4Life programme, the National Child Measurement Programme, the School Games and Change4Life Sports Clubs.
	A copy of “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England” has already been placed in the Library.

Palliative Care

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department expects to publish an update of the progress made by the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention programme end of life workstream on improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of end of life care.

Paul Burstow: We have not published any reports specifically on the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention (QIPP) end of life care workstream. However, information on this work is included in the “End of Life Care Strategy Third Annual Report” (September 2011), which has already been placed in the Library, and is available on the National End of Life Care Programme website at:
	www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/
	We expect to publish a fourth annual report in the autumn.
	Information on primary care trusts (PCTs) reported efficiency savings during 2011-12 have been regularly published in “The Quarter”. PCTs reported total efficiency savings of £5.8 billion in 2011-12 towards the QIPP challenge. This information was published in “The Year: NHS Chief Executive’s Annual Report 2011/12”.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had repeat treatments for sexually transmitted infections on the NHS (a) fewer than five times, (b) between five and 10 times, (c) between 10 and 20 times, (d) between 20 and 30 times, (e) between 30 and 50 times and (f) more than 50 times between 1997 and 2010; and what the total cost was for each group.

Anne Milton: Not all of these data are collected centrally. However, officials are currently working to collate as much relevant information as possible. The Department will write to the hon. Member when the information is available, and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Social Services

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reform the adult social care system in England.

Paul Burstow: The Government has recently published its care and support White Paper, Caring for our future, a progress report on funding reform and a draft care and support Bill. Together, these documents represent the most radical reform of the social care system since 1948.
	The White Paper, together with the draft Bill sets out how the social care system will be transformed from a service that reacts to crises to one that focuses on prevention and is built around the needs and goals of people.
	As a result of the reforms that we are undertaking, people will be confident about the quality of care and be treated with dignity and respect, everyone will know what they are entitled to and will have control over their care, and carers will have new rights to public support.
	The draft Care and Support Bill, published alongside the White Paper, provides the legal framework needed to make the Government's vision a reality, and achieves a fundamental reform of the legislation which underpins social care. It brings together over a dozen Acts of Parliament dating back over 60 years, into a single, modern statute for care and support.
	The progress report on funding sets out the Government's agreement that the principles of the Dilnot Commission's model—financial protection through capped costs and an extended means test—would be the right basis for any new funding model for social care. It also commits to introducing a universal deferred payments scheme. The Government will consider in more detail variants under the principles of the Dilnot Commission's funding model, before coming to a final view in the next spending review.

Public Sector Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of his Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Simon Burns: There are currently a total of 36 departmental officials in the redeployment pool, as at 12 July 2012, none of whom have been registered for more than six months.
	As the Department is going through a period of change and restructuring, it is expected that this number will rise. However, we are not yet able to accurately predict the future numbers, as this is affected by external factors such as staff securing roles in new bodies or by their successful redeployment to other posts, including in other Government Departments.

Tobacco: Advertising

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect on independent retailers of an advertising ban on tobacco products.

Anne Milton: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 controls the advertising and promotion of tobacco products in the United Kingdom.
	No specific assessment has been made by the Department on the effect of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 on independent retailers.
	A number of published studies have shown that levels of awareness of tobacco promotion declined significantly among smokers in the UK after implementation of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002.

Tobacco: Packaging

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of implementing plain cigarette packaging on illicit or counterfeit tobacco production.

Anne Milton: The Government have an open mind about introducing standardised tobacco packaging. On 16 April 2012, the Government published the “Consultation on Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products”. Through the consultation, we want to understand whether there is evidence to demonstrate that the standardised packaging of tobacco products would have an additional public health benefit, over and above existing tobacco control initiatives.
	Through the consultation, we are also seeking views on whether there might be legal or other implications if standardised packaging requirements were introduced.
	A consultation stage impact assessment (IA), “Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products”, has been published alongside the consultation document, which provides an initial assessment of the potential impacts of introducing standardised packaging. Interested parties are invited to provide views on this IA with supporting evidence, including any impact that standardised packaging might have on the illicit or counterfeit tobacco market.
	The consultation will be open from 16 April to 10 August 2012. Any person, business or organisation with an interest is encouraged to respond.
	A copy of the impact assessment has been placed in the Library.

Vulnerable Adults: Social Services

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the potential for increased employment opportunities of more closely matching the needs of vulnerable people and their families to the provision of care services.

Paul Burstow: On 11 July the Government published the White Paper ‘Caring for our Future: Reforming Care and Support’ setting out a new vision for a reformed care and support system. This highlights the need to redesign the social care work force to meet the challenges of the new agenda, including encouraging the work force to work in different, more integrated ways, develop new skills and work flexibly across organisational boundaries.
	The Department will continue to work with delivery partners and stakeholders on the work force implications of increased personalised services and increased demand for services as a result of changing demography.